contact lens discussion thread (merged)

jaks111

this year i have decided to try contact lenses im with d&a for my glasses but really need to wear them more but i dont like them hence wht i must try contacts and stick with them
are all the opticians about the same price i like the idea of the ones where you keep them in all the time and just take them out once a month is there any one here that uses them
i have thought of trying boots tescos asda or is it best to stick with d&a

thanks

morganedge

sorryaboutmywife wrote: »

I was a daily contact lens wearer for many years but now cannot wear them often because the lack of oxygen my eyes received through wearing them so much has meant enlarged blood vessels in my eyes which is non-reversible.


Nicola

I dont like reading that. lol
I've worn contact lenses everyday since I was about 15 (im 26 now)
Im sure that the longterm use has damaged my eyes a little - not to mention a few times in my younger days where i slept for days wearing the slightly thicker 'monthly' lenses which cause me extreme pain for 2 whole days! Pain was unbelievable and constant.

Also, my eyes feel very very dry in the mornings nowadays.

I've moved over to very thin daily contacts for quite a few years now, but I imagine at some point ill have to stop wearing lenses

Im hoping that when that day comes, I can get laser eye surgery instead....

Rebelle

sorryaboutmywife wrote: »

Hi, please please visit an optician first to find a brand that are comfortable for you and that can advise you on hygiene etc. Your eyes are precious things and it is very important you look after them.

I was a daily contact lens wearer for many years but now cannot wear them often because the lack of oxygen my eyes received through wearing them so much has meant enlarged blood vessels in my eyes which is non-reversible.

With sensible use you can wear them fine. Once you're happy with a brand then of course start Money Saving!:D

HTH
Nicola

Hello

Would just like to echo the advice in this post, fortunately I've worn contacts for almost 10 years now with no problems, but have heard so many horror stories about eye damage and infections caused by them, if you've never worn them before I really would advise going to a reputable optician first to have your eyes thoroughly checked and find out which lens is best for you, then as other have said buy the same brand as cheaply as possible online once you have your prescription, but make sure you're really careful about hygiene and have regular eye tests and lens checks with an optician.

I'm on a tight budget but am happy to pay my local optician £24p/m for their Visioncare scheme - all my check ups, yearly Optomap scan and eye tests etc are free plus any appts if I ever have a problem, get 10-20% discount on frames and lenses for my glasses too AND my supply of month-long wear lenses (which I wear for 2-3 weeks then swap to glasses for while to give my eyes a break). Have been with the same optician since I was a child so they know me and my eyes very well and have repaired my broken glasses and given me spare parts many times for free, doubt I'd get that on the high street and definitely not online even if it saved me a few quid on the price of lenses. Might be worth seeing if any smaller opticians near you have a similar deal, as others have said your eyes are very precious and it's worth taking good care of them! x

MrsBartolozzi

jaks111 wrote: »

this year i have decided to try contact lenses im with d&a for my glasses but really need to wear them more but i dont like them hence wht i must try contacts and stick with them
are all the opticians about the same price i like the idea of the ones where you keep them in all the time and just take them out once a month is there any one here that uses them
i have thought of trying boots tescos asda or is it best to stick with d&a

thanks

I wore the Night and Day lenses you are talking about for over 4 years ending about 5 years ago. When I went to ask about them I was asked how long I had been wearing contacts for - in my case it had been about 8 years. I was told that they don't recommend this type of extended wear lens for new contact lens wearers as your eyes have to get used to having something in them for shorter periods first. In fact many opticians and opthalmologists just don't advise wearing them 24 hours a day at all!! This was why I stopped wearing them. My optician said I should take them out at night (defeats the purpose) and have one contact lens free day at least every 10 days!! This was even without my eyes showing any signs of corneal neovascularization the abnormal blood vessel growth which is associated with long term contact lens wear.
I now wear daily disposables.

As far as wearing them for a month and then taking them out - haha, I never met anyone who could manage this. You'll need to take them out to clean about every 7-10 days anyway depending on protein buildup as this makes them difficult to see out of and uncomfortable. You also need to be very aware of your eyes' health and be comfortable with taking lenses in/out too, as if you feel anything out of the ordinary you would need to remove them quickly or possibly wake up to pus filled or very sore, red eyes (and then you don't get to wear the lenses for weeks after).

themull1

I wear monthly lenses and have had them for 26 years, i don't like the daily ones as they are too thin for me. I get mine from vision express and never had any problems.

chalkysoil

hadjab wrote: »

i've been using Daysoft for about 18 months - never had a problem, and the lenses are very comfortable!

I was ok for a month now I'm allergic to the solution they come in - red sore eyes. Been wearing contacts for 30 years and the only time it happened before to me was when One Step had a "new" preservative added to it. Really really cheesed off and will have to sort an alternative out.

olly300

jaks111 wrote: »

this year i have decided to try contact lenses im with d&a for my glasses but really need to wear them more but i dont like them hence wht i must try contacts and stick with them
are all the opticians about the same price i like the idea of the ones where you keep them in all the time and just take them out once a month is there any one here that uses them

I actually wear those type of lenses but I treat them as monthly disposables which I take out at night.

I actually didn't ask for those type of lenses I just got given them as I was told they were better material than the old ones I wore. I then googled them and discovered what they were.

I then asked my optician and was told that wearing the lenses like you described do not suit the vast majority of people.

In my case I never sleep in my contact lenses and like taking the out when I shower after exercising and then put them in again, which is why dailies aren't suitable for me.

Most opticians promote daily disposables as you cannot do horrible things with cleaning them therefore decreasing the risk of eye infections.

jaks111 wrote: »

i have thought of trying boots tescos asda or is it best to stick with d&a

thanks

Much of a muchness now.

The opticians are all trained and qualified people. The people serving you i.e. shop assistants aren't.

It's best to stick to one optician and if they are a chain - the same branch.

I use to move around a lot so have used different opticians for contact lenses so have used Boots, Vision Express, Optical Express and an independent.

There use to be a problem with chains that there was a high turnover of opticians but with more having been trained and qualified in the last few years there is actually an issue where there are more trained then jobs.

FatVonD

Mine are £22 per month from Specsavers, if you pay monthly by direct debit your annual check up is free.

alwaysonthego_2

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AMC1979

Hi guys, I've been with D&A since the age of 16, when I first started wearing contact lenses (although my mum paid for them then!). They recently put their prices up to £20.50 per month - this is for two pairs of contacts (one pair for two weeks) and a bottle of solution. I often build up the solution over the first half of the year so usually change it to lenses only, which brings the subscription down by about £5.

My brother told me he only pays £10 p/m for his lenses and solution - he has one pair per month. I think they are slightly poorer quality than mine - he was offered the two-weekly better quality ones for £13 p/m but chose to stay with his current subscription.

Either way though, if I switched this would represent a massive saving for me, so I am seriously thinking of changing. Like some other users, I prefer to go with a high street optician as I feel better leaving something as important as my eyesight in the hands of the experts (for peace of mind).

Before I switch, I'd be grateful for any opinions/feedback on Specsavers or any other cheaper options - without sacrificing the quality.

Many thanks!