Contact Lenses - Who wears them?

Bumped thread hijack.

Can anyone explain the process for getting contacts? I currently wear glasses for driving (I'm short-sighted) and it's getting to the point where walking around in a blur the rest of the day is annoying :p. I'd probably opt for monthly ones to keep the cost down.

I know Tesco do free eye tests. Do they also do free contact assessments, and if so, do I need both, or does the contact lens one cover the normal eye test too and done at the same time? Do they explain how to wear them etc?

From there I gather I get my contact lens prescription, buy them online from Tesco/elsewhere and carry on, in a not so blurry fashion.

Cheers :).
 
Pho said:
Bumped thread hijack.

Can anyone explain the process for getting contacts? I currently wear glasses for driving (I'm short-sighted) and it's getting to the point where walking around in a blur the rest of the day is annoying :p. I'd probably opt for monthly ones to keep the cost down.

I know Tesco do free eye tests. Do they also do free contact assessments, and if so, do I need both, or does the contact lens one cover the normal eye test too and done at the same time? Do they explain how to wear them etc?

From there I gather I get my contact lens prescription, buy them online from Tesco/elsewhere and carry on, in a not so blurry fashion.

Cheers :).
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You'll need both and yep everything will be explained to you and they'll show you how to put them in and watch you do it a few times just to make sure you get it, or at least that's what they done at the opticians the first time I got them.
 
tom_e said:
You'll need both and yep everything will be explained to you and they'll show you how to put them in and watch you do it a few times just to make sure you get it, or at least that's what they done at the opticians the first time I got them.
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Ahh cool, cheers.

So looks like the plan of action:
  1. Get Free eye test from Tesco
  2. Get £15 contact lens assessment/after-care cover from Tesco
  3. Buy lenses / solutions and stuff
  4. ???
  5. Profit
 
Never paid for a pair in my life. Mum has worked in an Opticians since I was 10.

I however stopped wearing contact lenses about a year or so ago, been wearing them since I was old enough (14 iirc) and I'm 29 this month.

I never tried super expensive ones but I suppose you can't argue when you get them for free, I have over the years been given quite a few different brands. The reason I don't wear them now is because I'm fed up of feeling them on my eyes when wearing them.
 
~£30 a quarter.

Monthly disposables with Specsavers and two checkups per year.

Supposed to take out and clean every day but they are cleared for long wear so I do so. :p
 
I wear Coopervision ProClear 1day disposables. The only lenses I can actually wear with no problems. I get mine from Cost Co. £58 per quarter IIRC. Tried all the acuvue ones, but they are so uncomfy. These are the same as the ones Specsaver brand as their Elite lens.
 
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I tend to wear them when I'm going out now, even though they now only take 1 minute to put in. I've got 2 months worth left - bought 3 months worth, wore the first set for a month, didn't wear the second set more than three times, so they've lasted a lot longer.

I had one eye infection from not using anti-bacteria on my hands when I was fitting some in, but that cleared up after 2-3 days. I'm more careful now!

When fitting them, I find the best way is to look up, push down my bottom eyelid, slide it in, wriggle it a bit, close my eye, blink a few times and that seems to work for me. As long as you avoid the coloured part of the eye when you initially put them in, they shouldn't be too bad.

I'm currently with Tesco I think I pay £32 for 3 months.

Cheers
 
I'm 42 been wearing lenses since I was 16.

Use monthly disposables from Specsavers and pay £15, mine are slightly over sized to make them more breathable and are ok to sleep in if needed.

Wear them 7 days a week for 16 hours a day for 26 years and never had an infection an issue or anything. To add I also ride motorcycles and never had issues with that. I am checked everything 6 months and eye test every 2 years.

However I have come in to some cash and am goign to get a really decent set of glasses as now i'm getting old glasses seem fine (i do have glasses for when i get up at night of first thing in the morning but they are a cheapo pair never to be seen outside the house)

Just treat lenses and your eyes as important and you shouldn't have any issues
 
I am with Vision express and do swimming training 6 days a week. Wake up put them in then in the pool for 90mins, then ware them all day until around 10ish at night, don't give me any problems with pain etc.

Have spoken to my optician about it and he said its not really an issue as im using dailies, if they were monthlies it would not be recommended.
 
I use daily disposables from Specsavers and pay about £23 a month.

I always wear the lenses twice and have never had a problem.

Considering getting monthly but I have had them in the past and always rip them before the month was up. :D

Might have to give them another go.
 
Matutu said:
Have spoken to my optician about it and he said its not really an issue as im using dailies, if they were monthlies it would not be recommended.
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This incorrect, i spoke to my optician about dailies and he said it makes no difference as long as you clean your lenses daily and soak them for long enough along with general hand and face cleanliness.

I was expecting to have to go on dailies but he said the lenses now allow plenty of oxygen through and it is not an issue.

Now 15 years ago you were recommended to limit length and take breaks but no longer
 
Ive just gone onto fortnightly disposables from Daily disposables.

One of the reasons was that the daileys were that they were only letting through ~20% oxygen to the eyeball and this could, long term, affect the health of the eye.

Silicone Hydrogel let more like ~90% through and prolong the time (per day, amount of days and long term use) I am likely to be able to wear contacts

I trialed the daily ones and couldnt get away with them so have gone to the fortnightly ones

http://www.feelgoodcontacts.com/con...e_for_astigmatism&utm_campaign=acuvue_advance
 
~TB~ said:
Ive just gone onto fortnightly disposables from Daily disposables.

One of the reasons was that the daileys were that they were only letting through ~20% oxygen to the eyeball and this could, long term, affect the health of the eye.

Silicone Hydrogel let more like ~90% through and prolong the time (per day, amount of days and long term use) I am likely to be able to wear contacts

I trialed the daily ones and couldnt get away with them so have gone to the fortnightly ones

http://www.feelgoodcontacts.com/con...e_for_astigmatism&utm_campaign=acuvue_advance
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You can now get silicon hydrogel dailies. I can't remember the brand name, but they won contact lens of the year 2012
 
I use Daysoft but I know they don't offer toric lenses to correct astigmatism. I personally wouldn't mess if you can afford them and fit perfectly probably better to stick with what you know.
 
Hi just joined because i was reading the posts before and hoped someone would have some advice.
I have astigmatism like some of you guys on here and been wearing glasses from around 25 i am now 42 should have wore them when i was younger but that's a different story lol anyway in the past i have tried contacts but never really got on with them and don't really know why as i said i have astigmatism in my right and left but left is the worse the sill is around 4.00 for the left and 3.5 so both are quite high but in this day and age you would think they could get lenses that would work for me.

In the past as i say i have got lenses to wear for going out and for dates lol and stuff like that but in the end i just end up packing them in as my vision always ends up blurred after wearing them for maybe three hours and once i was on a date and the girl i was with was giving me a row for putting my finger in my eye all the time to adjust the lens as it always seems to slip of it's axis and that is about it for my story they never seem to sit properly on my eye i have tried lenses from spec savers vision express and none have ever done.
And finally just last week i was looking on line and i read that there are new types out that are made from silicone hydrogel and they have supposed to promote better vision or have those been out a while so if anyone can offer some advice much appreciated.
 
Epic bump.

I went to get new lenses today because my last pair of glasses are on the way out and I fancied going back to lenses. Picked the Acuvue Oasys bi-monthly lenses, however here's where I've lost the plot. Can someone explain this mess..

I set up a £20 a month direct debit for these, which works out at £280 a year. Seems expensive! :eek:

To verify that I haven't misunderstood Ive been looking on the Vision Express site (https://www.visionexpress.com/contact-lenses/all/2293/?page=page=1/12), which is alarming as they quote a whole years supply costs £138. The total number of lenses quoted is 24 pairs.

I'm not sure where £20 pcm comes from?! :confused:

Q) Can I cancel my direct debit and buy online?. Bare in mind I only set the direct debit up today?
 
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