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hi,
for all the contact wearers out here what brand do you use? Also i noticed that contacts are significantly cheaper online. do you think its safe to order from websites like coastalcontacts.com or 1800contacts.com?

By Mrpancake_2000 (Mrpancake_2000) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 09:26 pm: Edit

I use acuvue 2. I have looked around, and no matter what deal they are offering, Costco always has the best price. I think its about 15 bucks for 6 pair.

By Glamourbaby19 (Glamourbaby19) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 09:45 pm: Edit

I just changed from Acuvue Advance to Acuvue 1-month (or something like that). I get mine from 1800contacts.com and have been for about 2 years. I haven't had any problems with them so far, plus it's cheap and you don't have to pick anything up - they deliver it to your house.

By Cleveland (Cleveland) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 09:53 pm: Edit

1800contacts is a reputable company. Acuvue 2s are great. I had a trial pair of the Acuvue Advance and loved them (they hold more water so your eyes don't dry out so quickly), but I'm pretty blind in my left eye and they don't make as high a prescription as I need. The makers of Acuvue contacts always have special deals where you get rebates if you buy 6 or 12 months' worth at a time. 1800contacts can give the coupon for the rebates.

By Nj777 (Nj777) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 10:07 pm: Edit

Just wondering...how long does it take for these contact lenses to be shipped when bought from 1800contacts or any website for that matter- regular shipping that is.
also has anyone tried focus night and day?

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 10:55 pm: Edit

I agree with Mrpancake_2000. From what I can tell, 1800contacts is good if you order a lot... like a whole year's supply. But if you just want to buy it by the box, it's better at Costco. For me, I use Acuvue 2s and its the same price from 1800scontacts and Costco- but I have to buy 8 boxes from 1800 for that price, and I get it no matter how few I buy at Costco.

By Oceanblue52 (Oceanblue52) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:02 am: Edit

I just ordered from 1800Contacts, and it took about 6 days. I opted for the free shipping though, you can get it in a day or two if you're willing to pay more. I bought 9 months worth (Acuvue Two) and paid about $120. I found it them to be very reliable.

By Bronwynwin (Bronwynwin) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 02:23 am: Edit

Seems like everyone really likes the Acuvue lenses. I just got new Focus Night & Day lenses.... The ones you are supposed to be able to wear for 30 days and nights without ever removing.

I take them out every night, but the eye doc suggested them because they let something like 6x as much air through as an average soft lense. They've been really great, I can actually tolerate them where I can't most other brands.

A little bit pricier, but it would be cool to be able to leave your contacts in overnight if you wanted.

By Nj777 (Nj777) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:40 am: Edit

Bronwynwin my doctor also prescribed me focus night and day and told me to take it off every day. anyways how much did u pay for them? I found this great site www.contacts123.com where u can get them for just $42( minimum purchase of 2 required)

By Heatwave345 (Heatwave345) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 11:37 am: Edit

omg

i am so mad. After reading this topic, i remembered that i needed a refill on my perscription. so i called sams club and they said that i needed another eye exam to "renew" my prescription. The exam is $100 and no one is allowed to sell me contacts by law unless i get antoher eye exam. greedy capitalistic pigs....

By Hermit_Mmood (Hermit_Mmood) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:06 pm: Edit

Heatwave345, same thing here, my optometrist said that I can only get contact lenses from him (he was equivocating, telling me that i can get contact lenses from him JUST FOR UNLIMITED CONTACT LENS SOLUTION)

The only question I have is, your vision gets a little worse each year or so I've heard. If this was the case, would you still get an eye checkup each year?

one more thing, suppose you took like a drivers test and you wore contact lenses, would they know?


and yes, optometrists are greedy, capitalistic pigs

By Hermit_Mmood (Hermit_Mmood) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:19 pm: Edit

has anyone ever fallen asleep with their contact lenses on, and see that their lenses have cracked/ripped a little bit on the edges? Is this just the dehydration of the lenses and just resoak them or should they be disposed and not work?


Also, if you wear contact lenses for several years, is it likely to develop some time of allergy reaction to the lenses because of the protein deposits?

By Nj777 (Nj777) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:34 pm: Edit

"Heatwave345, same thing here, my optometrist said that I can only get contact lenses from him (he was equivocating, telling me that i can get contact lenses from him JUST FOR UNLIMITED CONTACT LENS SOLUTION)"

what your doctor is doing is illegal. he is by law supposed to hand you a prescription and you can buy contacts from whereever u want to.

As for the driver's license question, when you go to take the test, they ask you whether you wear glasses or contacts and they expect u to tell the truth ( why would u lie anyways?)

By Hermit_Mmood (Hermit_Mmood) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:38 pm: Edit

i didn't know if they ask if you wear glasses or contacts

By Cleveland (Cleveland) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 02:36 pm: Edit

Nj777---if they're cracked or ripped they need to be thrown out (can damage the eyes otherwise). If they just look wrinkled around the edges, try re-hydrating them in solution for a few hours and they usually come back to normal.

By Glamourbaby19 (Glamourbaby19) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 05:41 pm: Edit

Hermit: I think I developed an allergy to contacts after wearing the same brand for three years. I was fine with anything and then in the space of about two months, I could no longer wear contacts. I've now tried nearly every brand on the market to find a pair I can tolerate. The Acuvue ones seem to be the best for me.
*On a side note - I tried the Night and Day lenses and I couldn't see out of them. Whenever I looked sideways everything went...weird.

By Hermit_Mmood (Hermit_Mmood) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 07:15 pm: Edit

that sucks, I guess as a general precaution it is a good idea to try different brands every year/6 months, so as to continuously change the masterials and compositions to try to deter/avoid allergic reactions?

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 07:57 pm: Edit

Saying that your eye doctor is greedy because you had to get an eye exam after your contact lense prescription expired is simply off base. A prescription lasts for a certain length of time, often one year. The reason to exam your eyes again before renewing the prescription is not simply because your eyes may have changed prescription (though that too is important to check) but to examine the health of your eye because there are various effects from wearing contact lenses. A doctor would be totally remiss in his practice to not check on your eye health and vision and just keep giving you more contact lenses after the year or whatever length of time expired on the prescription.

However, the person who posted that you can take that prescription anywhere to be filled is absolutely correct. You do not HAVE to buy your contacts from your eye doctor. But you cannot have a prescription filled unless it is current. To renew one, you must be examined for health and vision reasons, not for greed.

Don't mess with your eyes.

Susan

By Mycat (Mycat) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 02:21 am: Edit

I have no Idead what brand i use. All i know is that i have to wear those freaking hard lenses...it takes a while to get used to but they don't damage fast.

By Icarus (Icarus) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 04:55 pm: Edit

You don't have to wear the "hard" contact lenses, mycat. If you want to switch, just tell your md. There really is very little advantage to using the rigid gas permeable contacts anymore. Acuvue lenses are by far the best contacts. The new Acuvue Advance are supposedly the most breathable, but I liked the feel of my Acuvue2's more.

As far as allergies go, it is very rare to have an allergic reaction to contact lenses. The main problems (with soft lenses) is that, due to their high water content, they can sometimes (rarely) harbor bacteria that can irritate the eye. This is why cleaning is such an important aspect of wearing contacts. The far more common irritant is protein build-up when the protein that they eye produces cannot escape as quickly.

By Kewkiekid (Kewkiekid) on Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - 09:13 pm: Edit

i just started wearing contact about 2 months ago. i purchased them through my eye dr. because that's what my insurance covered. i seem to have the one brand that 1800contacts doesn't carry. it's CooperVision. i have a toric lens in one eye (for astigmatism) and they carry that, but they don't have the regular lens i use for my other eye. i got enough contacts for a year though, so i'm not worried about reordering until next summer.

my only concern is about what brand solution to use. i started out with opti free express because that's what the eye dr. reccommended. however, the costco generic version of renu is a LOT cheeper and mom wants me to use that....does anyone know any reason i shouldn't switch?

By Demingy (Demingy) on Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 04:50 pm: Edit

Kewkiekid, I don't see any reason why you couldn't switch. If you are going to switch I would suggest doing it while you still have some of the Opti-free Express left because you may have problems with the other solution.

My eyes are pretty sensitive and I've tried different solutions but I keep coming back to Opti-free Express because it is the only solution that doesn't cause me problems.