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contact lens discussion thread (merged)

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  • loveandlight
    loveandlight Posts: 1,200 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have been having terrible problems with my contact lenses and am wondering whether anyone else is having the same problem as it's now costing me a small fortune. I have been wearing contacts for over 20 years without a problem before.

    Firstly, I went to Specsavers and paid £77.00 for three months supply of Easyvision Monthly Multifocals. They kept splitting whilst I was wearing them and lasted no more than a week. I went back to Specsavers thinking it was me and bought some more. Same thing happened again! This time I went back and asked for my money back. After great difficulty they took back my remaining lenses and refunded my money saying no-one else had complained.

    Then I ordered some more from the internet. They were half the price and were exactly the same contact lenses under a different name i.e., Proclear Coopervision Monthly Multifocals. Guess what? The left lense split whilst wearing them last Friday and I'd only been wearing them for five days!! I contacted the internet company today and they say no-one else has complained. I have been wearing contacts for 20 years without any probs whatsoever, so I find it hard to believe I'm the only one with this problem.

    Anyone else have this problem? I'm thinking that maybe I should just try a completely different brand? Thanks for your help guys.
  • purply
    purply Posts: 391 Forumite
    hi,
    i have had this problem in the past but not as bad as yours i have to say!
    i find that when i grow my nails, my lenses are more prone to splitting-sharp nails. now, i very rarely grow my nails.

    but it does seem that that, sharp nails alone cant account for your prob.

    sorry i cant be of more help.
    Respond to every call that excites your spirit.
  • Sugar_Coated_Owl
    Sugar_Coated_Owl Posts: 12,379 Forumite
    I currently wear the Specsavers easyvision daily disposable lenses. I must say that I do find that they split easily. Sometimes they are already split when I take them out of the blister pack. Many times they have managed to split while I've been wearing them which is really annoying as I can't always find the other half that's still in the eye.

    I have also tried the Specsavers monthly disposable lenses and that was a nightmare. I wore them continuously for about 3 days and had to take them out as they were irritating my eyes. When I took them out I noticed that part of one of the lenses had split and that was obviously what was causing the irritation.

    I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem. I was beginning to think it was just me.
    --><-- Sugar Coated Owl --><--

    If you believe, you will survive - Katie Piper

    Woohoo! I'm normal! Gotta go tell the cat.
  • I am an optician, and everyone who wears lenses finds that they split occasionally, but it shouldn't be happening to every pair, especially if you are an experienced CL wearer. (New wearers split lenses more often as they get used to handling the lenses, and long nails can be a problem)

    you may have dry eyes, generally this is more common in women, and more common as we get older. if the lenses are drying out on your eyes they will be more prone to splitting. You can buy eye drops (Comfort Drops, Aquify, Blink etc) which are designed for moisturising the contact lenses whilst they are in your eyes (make sure it says on the bottle that they are suitable for use with contact lenses).

    The lenses which you used before you had the Proclear Multifocals may have been thicker, so you could get away with rougher handling of them. if the comfort drops don't help it may be worth trying a different type of lens.
    Wiggly:heartpulsFB

  • loveandlight
    loveandlight Posts: 1,200 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Originally posted by wishiwasarichgirl
    I am an optician, and everyone who wears lenses finds that they split occasionally, but it shouldn't be happening to every pair, especially if you are an experienced CL wearer. (New wearers split lenses more often as they get used to handling the lenses, and long nails can be a problem)

    you may have dry eyes, generally this is more common in women, and more common as we get older. if the lenses are drying out on your eyes they will be more prone to splitting. You can buy eye drops (Comfort Drops, Aquify, Blink etc) which are designed for moisturising the contact lenses whilst they are in your eyes (make sure it says on the bottle that they are suitable for use with contact lenses).

    The lenses which you used before you had the Proclear Multifocals may have been thicker, so you could get away with rougher handling of them. if the comfort drops don't help it may be worth trying a different type of lens.

    I'll try the comfort drops, if not, I'll try a different brand. Appreciate your advice. Thanks!:beer:
  • JennyW_2
    JennyW_2 Posts: 1,888 Forumite
    it may be your lense solution. When I was in American 2 years ago I bought some back with me (it's much cheaper over there), however it split quite a few pairs of my lenses so I stopped using it. Might be worth thinking about.
  • airbag
    airbag Posts: 53 Forumite
    For anyone interested, Im in Scotland and ASDA are giving free eye tests (1/2 hour) and also free contact lens tests (1/2 hour) until the 18th April.

    I was booked in with Optical Express but Ive cancelled that now. Saved myself 20 quid :)
  • alba37
    alba37 Posts: 2,616 Forumite
    airbag wrote: »
    For anyone interested, Im in Scotland and ASDA are giving free eye tests (1/2 hour) and also free contact lens tests (1/2 hour) until the 18th April.

    I was booked in with Optical Express but Ive cancelled that now. Saved myself 20 quid :)

    I am really confused! My son (14) wants contact lenses for sports. He gets free eye tests, and is due one now. Last year I asked about lenses at his optician but they quoted some silly price so I let it go. So what I want to know is can he get a free contact lense test at e.g Asda and also his normal free eye test, or can he only have 1?

    Thanks
  • airbag wrote: »
    For anyone interested, Im in Scotland and ASDA are giving free eye tests (1/2 hour) and also free contact lens tests (1/2 hour) until the 18th April.

    I was booked in with Optical Express but Ive cancelled that now. Saved myself 20 quid :)


    everyone in Scotland now has their eyetest funded by the NHS, but only if you're actually due for a sight test.

    And alba37, if your son is still under 16 and is due for a sight test he'll get it free wherever he goes. You can then take the prescription to any optician who is offering a free contact lens trial.
    Wiggly:heartpulsFB

  • alba37
    alba37 Posts: 2,616 Forumite
    Thanks, but do you mean he can have one or the other, not both e.g. glasses and lenses test?
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