The Contact Lenses Thread

DouBleB

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A mere consultation does not equate to a contact lens fitting. A contact lens fitting involves the taking of your medical and ocular history, checking of your eye health including staining your eye with a yellowish dye and popping in different lenses into your eye to asses the fitting of each lens before determining which is the best for your.

Did that person even look through the slit lamp (aka biomicroscope, google it if you don't know) before advising you on why you feel the discomfort? If he/she didn't, it's as good as buying off the shelf. A discomfort can also be felt at the side of the lenses if the lens fit is not optimal.

Did he/she even advise you on what you can do with lens wear, what you cannot do with lens wear, when you are not supposed to wear lenses (ie. Flu, swimming, etc) and did he/she inform you what to do if you feel that your eyes are feeling weird with the lenses on?

If there are more nos than yesses. You are not getting a proper consultation.
lucky the optical shop i went does the check using slit lamp... she was young and quite steady :o and do a check on my eyes..
 

warhunter

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yes and that is what i want as well..
so again back to the question..
which shop offers good pricing on their lenses?
or lenses have controlled price so it doesnt matter where i go to?
the last time i went was "Y.e.s" at suntec. I havent asked around yet, figured i get some info here first

like i said before. the advice you got online should not constitute to a "consultation". Thus, i cannot recommend the type of lenses you should get. i can roughly tell you that dailies would typically cost about $45-75 per box depending on the lens brand and type. that price is not inclusive of the consultation fee that some optometrists charge.

Just an info for you, if you are the kind of patients that requires >12 hours of lens wear a day, ask your optometrist about new generation silicon hydrogels. they are the "healthier" type of lenses for long hours of wear.
 

anathema

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Currently using biofinity with BC 8.6 and DIA 14.0.
Thinking of trying another brand. But then i think different brands have different BC and DIA? How to know if it's a suitable fit with my current eye?

Anyone experienced this problem before?
 

warhunter

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Currently using biofinity with BC 8.6 and DIA 14.0.
Thinking of trying another brand. But then i think different brands have different BC and DIA? How to know if it's a suitable fit with my current eye?

Anyone experienced this problem before?

Read the old threads man. You won't know which is suitable unless a contact lens fitting is done by your optometrist. Even if different brands have the saame dia and bc they may still fit differently. So consult your optometrists. Insist that a lens fit must be done!
 

anathema

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Read the old threads man. You won't know which is suitable unless a contact lens fitting is done by your optometrist. Even if different brands have the saame dia and bc they may still fit differently. So consult your optometrists. Insist that a lens fit must be done!
I had my previous biofinity (without toric) done by optometrist (bedok interchange). It was my first set of contact lenses. As much as i don't recall that my optometrist did any contact lens fitting for me, I never had any problems with the fitting or whatsoever (pain or lenses dropping out, etc). Hence, i believe that my BC and DIA of the lenses that i'm looking for is of suitable fit.

I've taken time to read thru the posts today and i do understand the need to have eyes checked and of course, the contact lens fitting.

Right now, i'm planning to get another year's supply of contact lenses and this time MIGHT consider toric (i have very very slight astig). However, the shops that i've visited merely showed me different alternatives (Biomedics 38 & 55) when i told them i was looking at cheaper alternatives to Biofinity. I also noticed that Biofinity (WITH toric) comes with BC = 8.7 and DIA = 14.5. That's where my confusion is. If i were to switch from Biofinity (WITHOUT toric) to Biofinity (WITH toric), would it still be suitable?

Also, warhunter, i wouldn't mind heading down to your shop to do an eye examination and contact lense fitting. I don't mind paying for service but just hope that it's reasonably priced. If it's fine, do let PM me, i'll head down later this week.
 

warhunter

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I had my previous biofinity (without toric) done by optometrist (bedok interchange). It was my first set of contact lenses. As much as i don't recall that my optometrist did any contact lens fitting for me, I never had any problems with the fitting or whatsoever (pain or lenses dropping out, etc). Hence, i believe that my BC and DIA of the lenses that i'm looking for is of suitable fit.

I've taken time to read thru the posts today and i do understand the need to have eyes checked and of course, the contact lens fitting.

Right now, i'm planning to get another year's supply of contact lenses and this time MIGHT consider toric (i have very very slight astig). However, the shops that i've visited merely showed me different alternatives (Biomedics 38 & 55) when i told them i was looking at cheaper alternatives to Biofinity. I also noticed that Biofinity (WITH toric) comes with BC = 8.7 and DIA = 14.5. That's where my confusion is. If i were to switch from Biofinity (WITHOUT toric) to Biofinity (WITH toric), would it still be suitable?

Also, warhunter, i wouldn't mind heading down to your shop to do an eye examination and contact lense fitting. I don't mind paying for service but just hope that it's reasonably priced. If it's fine, do let PM me, i'll head down later this week.

I won't be able to help u. I'm still in ns. If your optometrist didn't help you do a fitting do not go back to him. Even if your lenses feel fine, it does not mean that your lenses fit fine. Only an optometrist can determine the fit through a slit lamp examination.

In THEORY the toric biofinity should work should your biofinity of bc 8.6 and dia 14 be of optimal fit pattern.
 

Apple_Ice

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Hey guys, I would like to get myself disposable contact lenses.. I have a very high degree of over 700.. I would love to have a full eye examination but most optical shop would probably not do it..

I read through the threads and found that SP has this clinic that do a full examination.. Anyone has experience there? I don't mind letting the students have some hands on, but will a qualified optometrist always be beside the students to ensure that they are doing the examination accurately?
 

warhunter

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Hey guys, I would like to get myself disposable contact lenses.. I have a very high degree of over 700.. I would love to have a full eye examination but most optical shop would probably not do it..

I read through the threads and found that SP has this clinic that do a full examination.. Anyone has experience there? I don't mind letting the students have some hands on, but will a qualified optometrist always be beside the students to ensure that they are doing the examination accurately?

The students will finish doing their stuff first the lecturer will check at the end of it.
 

Apple_Ice

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dude its about your eyes not about money. If no money don't bother finding contact lens. all for your safety

Agreed.. You can use cheaper accessories but not lenses as our eyes are really precious.. I just went to Singapore Poly Optometry for contact lens prescription after obtaining advice from bros here and the overall experience was very good.. Took a total of 2 hours to get everything done.. I doubt any optometrist in optical shops will spend that amount of time for any customers.. They will probably brush you off and sell you any lenses they deem as good (what happened to my sis)..

I can't remember exactly what they did but the steps are roughly as follows:

(1) Check your ocular history such as operation etc
(2) Check my power for myopia/astig
(3) Check my eyes with staining solution to check for scratches or scar
(4) Check for eyes curvature etc
(5) Fit the contact lens

I can't stress the importance of contact lens fitting.. At first, they fitted me with a B&L Toric, I myself would have thought that it is alright as the feeling is generally good, except that when i looked up, I felt that there was a little sensation on my lids.. After they examined the fitting under white/blue lightings, it was determined that the lens are abit loose, will not drop out but definitely not a good fit.. So they decided to change to Air Optix for Astig and the fitting was so much better..

The only cons is probably that Air Optix is much more expensive than other brands and no discounts are offered there.. Got it at $60 per box.. I got 1 set from them and will probably buy more from other shops.. I guess this is okay since I got all the fittings done nicely le.. :):):)

The whole checkup was done by a student but the lecturer is there to check and make sure she did the correct thing. She is quite professional despite being a student..

Lastly, I was wondering if anyone bought contact lenses overseas before? I will be going to Taiwan for quite a while and I was wondering if the lenses for Air Optix here and there are identical when all the specs are same?
 
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Citiguy

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Agreed.. You can use cheaper accessories but not lenses as our eyes are really precious.. I just went to Singapore Poly Optometry for contact lens prescription after obtaining advice from bros here and the overall experience was very good.. Took a total of 2 hours to get everything done.. I doubt any optometrist in optical shops will spend that amount of time for any customers.. They will probably brush you off and sell you any lenses they deem as good (what happened to my sis)..

I can't remember exactly what they did but the steps are roughly as follows:

(1) Check your ocular history such as operation etc
(2) Check my power for myopia/astig
(3) Check my eyes with staining solution to check for scratches or scar
(4) Check for eyes curvature etc
(5) Fit the contact lens

I can't stress the importance of contact lens fitting.. At first, they fitted me with a B&L Toric but it's too loose.. When i looked up I felt that there was something on my lids.. They examined the fitting under white/blue lightings and decided to change to Air Optix for Astig.. This fitting was so much better..

The only cons is probably that Air Optix is much more expensive than other brands and no discounts are offered there.. Got it at $60 per box.. I got 1 set from them and will probably buy more from other shops.. I guess this is okay since I got all the fittings done nicely le.. :):):)

The whole checkup was done by a student but the lecturer is there to check and make sure she did the correct thing. She is quite professional despite being a student..

Lastly, I was wondering if anyone bought contact lenses overseas before? I will be going to Taiwan for quite a while and I was wondering if the lenses for Air Optix here and there are identical when all the specs are same?

Apple_Ice, how much did you pay for the contact lens prescription at Singapore Poly Optometry?

TIA for replies.
 

Apple_Ice

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Apple_Ice, how much did you pay for the contact lens prescription at Singapore Poly Optometry?

TIA for replies.

They charge $5 for the prescription.. After that they can order the contact lenses for you at the standard pricing.. I don't think they have the promotions like other optical shops.. I got from them 1 set of Air Optix for Astig (Monthly) at $60 per box, the rest i intend to buy outside with the same presciption..

One good thing to buy from them if you are a 1st timer is that there is a delivery session.. They will guide you how to put on, take off, clean etc.. Much more detailed then the typical optical shops..
 
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warhunter

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Agreed.. You can use cheaper accessories but not lenses as our eyes are really precious.. I just went to Singapore Poly Optometry for contact lens prescription after obtaining advice from bros here and the overall experience was very good.. Took a total of 2 hours to get everything done.. I doubt any optometrist in optical shops will spend that amount of time for any customers.. They will probably brush you off and sell you any lenses they deem as good (what happened to my sis)..

I can't remember exactly what they did but the steps are roughly as follows:

(1) Check your ocular history such as operation etc
(2) Check my power for myopia/astig
(3) Check my eyes with staining solution to check for scratches or scar
(4) Check for eyes curvature etc
(5) Fit the contact lens

I can't stress the importance of contact lens fitting.. At first, they fitted me with a B&L Toric, I myself would have thought that it is alright as the feeling is generally good, except that when i looked up, I felt that there was a little sensation on my lids.. After they examined the fitting under white/blue lightings, it was determined that the lens are abit loose, will not drop out but definitely not a good fit.. So they decided to change to Air Optix for Astig and the fitting was so much better..

The only cons is probably that Air Optix is much more expensive than other brands and no discounts are offered there.. Got it at $60 per box.. I got 1 set from them and will probably buy more from other shops.. I guess this is okay since I got all the fittings done nicely le.. :):):)

The whole checkup was done by a student but the lecturer is there to check and make sure she did the correct thing. She is quite professional despite being a student..

Lastly, I was wondering if anyone bought contact lenses overseas before? I will be going to Taiwan for quite a while and I was wondering if the lenses for Air Optix here and there are identical when all the specs are same?

you can get them overseas but you are not protected by local laws. they can provide you with compensation should there be any product defects causing a permanent problem. if they are the same brand and specifications BC dia. then shouldn't be different.

ALSO, remember to update your contact lense prescription at least YEARLY.
 

warhunter

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They charge $5 for the prescription.. After that they can order the contact lenses for you at the standard pricing.. I don't think they have the promotions like other optical shops.. I got from them 1 set of Air Optix for Astig (Monthly) at $60 per box, the rest i intend to buy outside with the same presciption..

One good thing to buy from them if you are a 1st timer is that there is a delivery session.. They will guide you how to put on, take off, clean etc.. Much more detailed then the typical optical shops..

THERE is promotions there if IIRC. you can check it out. Problem with promotions by optical shop is that sometimes the amount of lenses you buy is >1 years supply of lenses. Which defeat the purpose of telling people to update their prescription YEARLY. You guys should be happy that you're paying only $5 for consultation there. Heard that in Australia the consultation for contact lenses by students in school about AUD$20++ and by registered optometrists even HIGHER.
 

Citiguy

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They charge $5 for the prescription.. After that they can order the contact lenses for you at the standard pricing.. I don't think they have the promotions like other optical shops.. I got from them 1 set of Air Optix for Astig (Monthly) at $60 per box, the rest i intend to buy outside with the same presciption..

One good thing to buy from them if you are a 1st timer is that there is a delivery session.. They will guide you how to put on, take off, clean etc.. Much more detailed then the typical optical shops..

Apple_Ice, thank you for your reply. Did you make a reservation before going there?
 

Seannie

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My story with Contact lenses

I am a guy with high astig (above 300) & myopia (above 700).

i like the feeling of wearing contact lenses, however i think im not suited to them, im not too sure its just by my instinct. Several years ago i have alry tried semi-hard Boston-brand contact lenses, but i gave up after few months because i always feel my eyes getting very dry after half a day & i have to keep instilling eyedrops throughout the rest of the days. At times, i even need to put some drops into my eyes before the contact lenses can actually pop in. (One of the reasons also becos i always have insufficient sleep that makes my eyes even more dry?) And then the next morning i will have tough time putting them on without them dropping out from my eyes. Sometimes, they fall off my eyes & hands and onto the florr or table get dirtied & i have to rewash them & try putting them again and so forth until can spend mre than 15mins just puting these tings on. It was so troublesome & at one point i felt a sharp pain that i stopped using it anymore for a few years.

Then last yaer, i tried soft disposable lenses (B&L) vision was good but cant wear for the full day cos the eyes will feel really uncomfy ( i think due to the lack of oxygen) cos B&L only have one type of toric lenses with my power at that time. I switched to acuvue fortnightly disposable, though astig can only cater up to 300 i think. But again although its mre comfortable than semi-hard type, the vision not as crisp & still gets dried up after few days of wearing.

Recently, i heard that Boston has a new type of semi-hard lenses which is softer & allows for more oxygen to flow thru. Im not sure whether i shd try once more as the lenses not cheap as it needs to be customised.

So, can i safely say that i am just not so suited to contact lens wearing?
 
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