Contact Lenses

[Silty Bottom]

I used to use the monthly lenses but got lazy and switched over to the dailies. Before I switched I used to buy a pack of the dailies purely for diving just in case I lost one. I've never experienced any problems even when practising mask clearing and deliberately flooding my mask. As for the misting on ascent I've never experienced that either. I always carry a couple of spare pairs in my kit box should I have any mishaps though.

[recurve]

I am on a 'part time wear' contract from Specsavers. I get a box of thirty lenses for each eye to last three months for ten pounds a month. That works out as £15.00 per box of 70% water content daily wear lenses, delivered. The American site quotes 52% water lenses at $19.00 (£9.50) if you buy five boxes for each eye, plus delivery.

For my extra £6.00 per box, I get a free yearly contact lens check (very thorough), local service and a half price pair of glasses with lenses if I want them.

I reckon it's money well spent supporting my 'LOS'. Given how loud we shout about supporting our LDS rather than internet shopping, I know what I'm going to carry on doing. After all, who is going to test your eyes when the local shop has to shut?

[Lou]

Originally Posted by JasonP

What sort of cleaning solutions? If it's a two step, peroxide based one, then that does kill most things. The one-solution-does-all isn't as effective at killing stuff off.

Jason

Hmm. Well, most of the two-step solutions I was offered weren't peroxide based. Only the single step with the neutralising case was, and that was recommended as the strongest cleaning agent.

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by Lou

Hmm. Well, most of the two-step solutions I was offered weren't peroxide based. Only the single step with the neutralising case was, and that was recommended as the strongest cleaning agent.

I've not used solutions in years. Last time I did, using a neutralising tablet was the latest innovation. Presumably you have to wait a certain amount of time before the peroxide is neutralised? With some of the one step stuff it's OK to put it straight in your eye having just squirted it on, so really, how lethal is that going to be to anything? Peroxide hurts like hell.

Jason

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by recurve

I reckon it's money well spent supporting my 'LOS'. Given how loud we shout about supporting our LDS rather than internet shopping, I know what I'm going to carry on doing. After all, who is going to tet your eyes when the local shop has to shut?

Mine are $73 from the US or £63 from the Specsavers website for exactly the same lenses. It used to be a lot worse and I suspect it's still more expensive from a shop.

I can't see the multi-national optician chains going bust anytime soon.

Jason

[Lou]

Originally Posted by JasonP

I've not used solutions in years. Last time I did, using a neutralising tablet was the latest innovation. Presumably you have to wait a certain amount of time before the peroxide is neutralised? With some of the one step stuff it's OK to put it straight in your eye having just squirted it on, so really, how lethal is that going to be to anything? Peroxide hurts like hell.

Jason

Yep, it is an overnight thing. Peroxide into case, lenses into carrier - which oncorporates a metallic block. Carrier into case. The metal block then reacts with the peroxide and the whole lot fizzes for a while. when it stops fizzing you have (presumably) sterile H20 in the case and nice dead bugs. Putting them in your eyes before reaction is complete is...erm...not advisable!

[Hickdive]

Recently I've been using these;

daysoft®uv daily disposable contact lenses

they're perhaps not as cheap as importing from the states but I usually get them next day if I order before lunch and they are much cheaper than anywhere else in the UK.

You get a free sample with every pack so if you don't like them you can send them back for a refund.

However, with any luck I've bought my last pack. Unless something crops up I'm getting my eyes lasered in a couple of weeks.

[Midnight]

Thanks guys. Lots of brilliant information there.

I am looking forward to the day that I can try them out on a dive. I am currently up to about a comfortable 3hours. But I want to be much more used to them before I take them under water.

I will check out the internet sites also. There was a couple recommended but I want to be sure that my peculiar prescription is bang-on befor I go down that route.

Thanks again
Midnight

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by Midnight

I will check out the internet sites also. There was a couple recommended but I want to be sure that my peculiar prescription is bang-on befor I go down that route.

I use Buy Contact Lenses - Order Contacts Online from Vision Direct  & Get the Lowest Price, Guaranteed

Jason

[Tiberius]

I first started wearing contact lenses in about 1980, they were about £200 then and that was a lot of money to an impoverished student. Like most people I had the fun of forgeting to neutralise them a few times.

Nowadays I wear daily disposables like most people I guess. Bought from specsavers mainly coz I'm lazy, but I only really use them for sport. A box of 30 last me a while.

I have slight astigmatism, but not bad, my glasses correct it but my lenses don't, it's not bad enough to bother me.