Contact Lens Cost Cutting article discussion

agnes_2 · 30 September 2007 at 3:12PM

Hi can anyone help me understand my presription? I want to order online now here are both scripts

Right= dist. Sph = +3.75 Cyl= -0.25 Axis = 100
near add +2.50

Left = dist. Sph = + 5.25 Cyl= -0.50 Axis = 100
near add +2.50

Contact Lens Multifocal

Right = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = +3.50 add high
Left = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = + 5.00 add high

Hope there is someone who understands this because some of the lenses I selected had base curve only 8.6 and Diameter only 14.00 or 14.2 and I am not sure what this means.

liz_bartun · 8 October 2007 at 11:36PM

Agnes wrote: »

Hi can anyone help me understand my presription? I want to order online now here are both scripts

Right= dist. Sph = +3.75 Cyl= -0.25 Axis = 100
near add +2.50

Left = dist. Sph = + 5.25 Cyl= -0.50 Axis = 100
near add +2.50

Contact Lens Multifocal

Right = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = +3.50 add high
Left = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = + 5.00 add high

Hope there is someone who understands this because some of the lenses I selected had base curve only 8.6 and Diameter only 14.00 or 14.2 and I am not sure what this means.

Hi Agnes. I'm no expert but it looks to me the first prescription is for glasses and the second is the contact lens prescription. Its not unusual for the strengths to be different.

You need to use the contact lens prescription and you will need the correct base curve, or the lenses will be extremely uncomfortable. The most common base curve is 8.6 and some lenses only come in this specification. Personally, I need 8.4.

You should be able to find the same lenses you've previously had dispensed from your optician on the internet (although they may be under a different name which can be confusing - just ask your optician). Anyhow - a reputable online retailer will contact your optician to verify they have the correct details.

Hope this helps.

Liz

Ed_Eichman · 11 October 2007 at 3:46PM

Martin's Cheap-Contact-Lenses claims to be updated quarterly, but at the very bottom of the bottom of the page (as of Oct. 11th, 2007) says "last updated 19.12.06". Be aware that the prices have not been updated in a while. I will be commenting on many points of the article eventually, but let's start with...

Ciba Vision - Focus Dailies All Day Comfort are very popular contact lenses, and VisionDirect.co.uk comes well under the prices offered by LensPlanet. The prices listed on Martin's site are a small subset of all products and shops, so I would recommend looking at a number of shops for the contact lenses that you need to buy before buying. In any case, VisionDirect.co.uk has been in business for quite a while, and I know for experience that their customer support, ethics and (most importantly) prices are "best of breed" in the UK market.

For price comparison, be sure to also check out Google Product Search (this link is the UK link for contact lenses).

Disclaimer: VisionDirect.co.uk is a client of mine. However, I am also a fan, since I like the way they do business.

wishiwasarichgirl · 11 October 2007 at 8:43PM

Agnes wrote: »

Contact Lens Multifocal

Right = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = +3.50 add high
Left = Base curve = 8.8 Diameter = 14.5 Sph = + 5.00 add high

Hope there is someone who understands this because some of the lenses I selected had base curve only 8.6 and Diameter only 14.00 or 14.2 and I am not sure what this means.

the specifications you have are for the Bausch & Lomb Soflens Multifocal, they come in an 8.5 & 8.8 BC, and a low add (+1.50) or a high add (+2.50)

MSE_Martin · 11 October 2007 at 9:01PM

Martin's Cheap-Contact-Lenses claims to be updated quarterly, but at the very bottom of the bottom of the page (as of Oct. 11th, 2007) says "last updated 19.12.06". Be aware that the prices have not been updated in a while. I will be commenting on many points of the article eventually, but let's start with...

Hi ed, actually the article was updated about a month ago. You'll see the date you refer to is at the bottom of every page on the site - and as it states it is the terms and conditions and privacy policy that were last updated on 19.12.06 not the article.

It did make me smile a bit - they say there's nothing new under the sun - but in the four years of this site, that's the first time anyone's ever thought (well reported) that date as being the article update

martin

Ed_Eichman · 12 October 2007 at 9:32AM

Wow, you actually man the forums? I'm impressed! Thanks for taking the time to correct me.

Sorry for the false accusation, and of COURSE no one ever reported this - it's clear (in retrospect) that the date refers to the privacy policy - duh! Suggestion - could you add the updated date on the cheap-contact-lenses forum?

Ed_Eichman · 12 October 2007 at 10:01AM

Martin has a section title "External Daily Updated Contact Lens Comparisons", and notes that Kelkoo and PriceRunner are paid sites. There is also a comparison site that is free for merchants (and for users, of course) - Google Product Search (a.k.a. Froogle).

I've dealt with all the price comparison sites I can find: NexTag, PriceGrabber, Kelkoo, etc., and I was continually frustrated by the fact that merchants show the quantity discounted price as the single item price (i.e. if you sell donuts for 1 GBP, and 10 for 9 GBP, the would list the price of a donut as 0.90 GBP). The posed a dilemma for VisionDirect.co.uk - should they show their quantity discounted price and "correctly" show as the cheapest, or "correctly" show their 1-item price and show further down the list even though they were cheaper?
Froogle made this easier - from my experience, they actually ENFORCE that you show the one item price. I was very impressed by how actively a "free" site was reacting.

Ideally, these sites would allow you to list BOTH single item and bulk prices, so that people like us (people trying to be money saving experts) can check the quantity discounted price (we all know about Earning 177% on Bulk Purchases, right?). However, as always, you have to make a user interface that everyone can understand... and try to use it along with merchants that can't agree on what fair is...

YOUR input on this would be appreciated.
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agnes_2 · 13 October 2007 at 3:24PM

Hello and thank you all so much I know they are two presciptions, one for glasses and one for contacts, but I didn't know if you needed to know both. Yes the lenses I have used for years now are the Bausch & Lomb, I first had multifocal, about 20 years ago when they first made they were German and I had to keep the one pair for a year, with 3 steps of cleansing and pay an insurance to cover replacement!! Well I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to MARTIN I found exactly the same ones, on Visiondirect am waiting for delivery I have been paying £300 per anum, and I've paid £130 on here that includes not only the cleaner, but the soothing eye drops.

Once again thank you so much

nedmundo · 14 October 2007 at 11:16PM

If you need soothing eyedrops, it suggests that perhaps they might not be the most suitable lens type for your eyes!

AjP_3 · 14 October 2007 at 11:39PM

Amazingly not covered in any detail in the main article are toric lenses, twice as expensive as normal lenses and required for people with astigmatism.

The cheapest I have found for toric daily lenses are FOCUS DAILIES TORIC £93.00 for 90 Pairs from asda that's a whopping £3 saving from specsavers!!!! still every little helps

There don't seem to be many daily toric lenses available and focus dailies seem to be the cheapest.

Contact Lens Cost Cutting article discussion

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