Optician for contact lenses - recommendations please!

[S8 Blade 10]

When I've needed an eye test I've used Martyn Kemp on Abbeydale Road. Great service, very convenient for me and they are able to provide trial lenses.

 

However, for the last 5 years or so I've bought my lenses online through Vision Direct as I've found them very competitively priced and they offer a free next day delivery.

 

The downside is that they don't offer trial lenses. Occasionally I'll place an order with a few weeks worth of another brand to see how they fair. At the moment I have a mix of Focus Dailies Aquacomfort Plus and Accuvue Moist Dailies which are at the mid-range for pricing. The Focus Dailies work best for me, the challenge is how they feel at the end of the day, I need a Toric lense for one eye and the Aquacomfort Plus is comfortable and long lasting...for me anyway.

 

Lenses should not be supplied on the internet unless you have a valid prescription for them - if you’re able to order whatever you like I’d doubt they are reputable! A pharmacy wouldn’t issue a different medicine to be one prescribed without consultation with a doctor/pharmacist first so why would you risk your sight by messing with your contact lenses?

[chipfork 10]

Lenses should not be supplied on the internet unless you have a valid prescription for them - if you’re able to order whatever you like I’d doubt they are reputable! A pharmacy wouldn’t issue a different medicine to be one prescribed without consultation with a doctor/pharmacist first so why would you risk your sight by messing with your contact lenses?

As I said when I've needed an eye test I've used the optician mentioned and when I've ordered lenses I've used an online supplier. They require a prescription to be scanned and uploaded.

Having the correct prescription is obviously important, particularly if you take to the road. However, it's widely acknowledged that the wrong prescription won't pose any risk to or damage your sight, eye strain and headaches are about as bad as it can get.

[S8 Blade 10]

As I said when I've needed an eye test I've used the optician mentioned and when I've ordered lenses I've used an online supplier. They require a prescription to be scanned and uploaded.

Having the correct prescription is obviously important, particularly if you take to the road. However, it's widely acknowledged that the wrong prescription won't pose any risk to or damage your sight, eye strain and headaches are about as bad as it can get.

 

The prescription isn’t just the numbers, it covers the type of lens (brand), the diameter of it and the base curve. The material of the lens is important as this is what allows the oxygen through to the cornea, preventing much more serious damage than the headaches and eye strain you mention, hence why the type of lens must be specified on the prescription. You really shouldn’t be ordering different types to try without the correct checks. You only have one set of eyes, don’t risk them!

[medusa 16]

As I said when I've needed an eye test I've used the optician mentioned and when I've ordered lenses I've used an online supplier. They require a prescription to be scanned and uploaded.

Having the correct prescription is obviously important, particularly if you take to the road. However, it's widely acknowledged that the wrong prescription won't pose any risk to or damage your sight, eye strain and headaches are about as bad as it can get.

 

 

That may apply for glasses, but for contact lenses you can absolutely wreck your corneas if you have the fit of your lenses even slightly wrong. This is why you need regular lens checks with your optician, to check on the physical health of your eyes.

 

 

And once you get out of the 'standard' category, fitting gets more and more important, even for glasses. My focus is screwed with my glasses even 2mm further up or down my nose because my prescription is so high.

 

 

 

If I'm paying almost £500 for a pair of glasses (and no, I can't buy them from any of the cheapie services because they won't do my prescription or my high index lenses at that price) then I want them to actually enable me to see. The same applies to lenses. If they give me a headache, what is the point in them?