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Online contact lens sales

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  • 19-02-2002 8:15pm
    #1
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭


    Just wondering if anyone has used them.

    I got eye tests & new (slightly stronger :/) prescription from Specsavers (college green) recently, but the sales staff have been annoying me with their stupidity (another story, and the optician himself was good)

    I really don't feel like giving Specsavers my hard earned cash, particularly when there's cheap online retailers available.

    I've done a trial on the all-day all-night lens and find them quite good. Since I know the manufacturer of the current lenses, and that they've only one size available (which fits me perfectly), and I have my prescription, does anyone see any pitfalls in buying online?

    Al.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #2
    Lenny
    Moderators, Music Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 9,389 Mod ✭✭✭✭Lenny


    Just out of intrest, what company and were did you get the all-day all-night lenses from?


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    #3
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Quality control of (a) the material and (b) the strenght of the lense - you know that dizzy feeling you get when you get different strength lenses.


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    #4
    Cake Fiend
    Registered Users Posts: 5,335 ✭✭✭Cake Fiend


    What services were you looking at Al? Might be interested in cutting my €500 annual lens bill a bit...


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    #5
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    [Thanks for the on-topic replys guys]

    OJ/Dabh:

    There are currently 2 manufacturers with the technology to make continous wear lenses, the ones I've trialed with are Bausch and Lomb. The optician originally gave me the other make (can't remember), but they were a terrible fit, kept moving on blink.

    Bausch and Lombs version is called Purevison. They only make these lens with a base curve of 8.6 and a diameter of 14.4, which fits roughly 80% of people, luckily this includes me.

    I got them in Specsavers on College Green. Their prices are IR£33 for a pair (one month supply) plus IR£25 for initial conslutancy ;)plus the fee for an eyesight test unless you had one recently. I've paid the test fee plus the conslutanty one at this stage, but I don't like the sales guys one bit, though the optician, a Breslin funnily enough, was dead-on and very good. I went back for a weekly check-up and got some guy younger than me (23) who wasn't as good.

    US mail order sites are charging about USD$23 per pair (almost half) for these same lenses, I'm tempted to get them there, depending on shipping.

    Vicky:

    Those are good points, but I don't believe they're relevant to this case, because
    (answering point [a]) - I am ordering B&L's contacts, these are not a no-name brand, they're the same one SS are selling me; and
    (answering point ) - I have a 10 day old prescription telling me what strength is, I'm going to order that one...

    thanks for the input

    Comments?

    Al.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #6
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Originally posted by Trojan
    (answering point [a]) - I am ordering B&L's contacts, these are not a no-name brand, they're the same one SS are selling me; and
    (answering point ) - I have a 10 day old prescription telling me what strength is, I'm going to order that one...
    Sorry, what I meant was you just have to reassure yourself as to whether you are get 'real' B&L and that you get the right ones you ordered.


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    #7
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    Originally posted by Vicky ;)

    Sorry, what I meant was you just have to reassure yourself as to whether you are get 'real' B&L and that you get the right ones you ordered.

    Yeah, I guess so. I need to see the original box, they're usually pretty securely packed (i.e. hard to forge). Wonder if that's good enough?

    Al.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #8
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    btw I just checked Specsavers online store at www.lensmail.ie - here's there prices from there for the B&L ones:
    53.34 (42.00) per box of 3 lenses
    (Normal despatch within 1 week of verification of your prescription)
    The minimum order quantity is 6 lenses
    Prices above are displayed in Irish Euro,*(Irish Punt)

    3 lens is no good anyway (well, I've got 2 eyes, ymmv), so 6 would be 3 months of those - IR£84 or €106.68 - 85% of the shop price. US mail order is around $23 per box of 3, or $46 which is significantly lower.

    btw the other company is "ciba".

    Al.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #9
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Are these (mail order) massed produced or are they tailor made to suit individuals?


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    #10
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    Originally posted by Victor
    Are these (mail order) massed produced or are they tailor made to suit individuals?

    Mass produced, same as the ones they sell you in the opticians.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #11
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Originally posted by Trojan
    Mass produced, same as the ones they sell you in the opticians.

    Whereas lenses for spectacles are often tailor-made (or altered). right, I understand now.


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    #12
    The Sweeper
    Registered Users Posts: 10,658 ✭✭✭✭The Sweeper


    www.getlenses.com

    I use them to get my disposable one-wear Bausch & Lomb lenses. The last time I ordered them, I saved myself about £40... my optician was looking for £120, I payed £80 and they arrived in the post literally the following day.

    Was WELL impressed.

    Delivery to the UK and ROI is free.


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    #13
    po0k
    Registered Users Posts: 15,815 ✭✭✭✭po0k


    I've had my lenses for only a few weeks. Need to buy a new batch now though. I forget the strength.
    They're monthlies and They suit me down to the ground.
    It's €140 for a 6month supply of them (12 individual lenses, 6 of each strength) and €9 for the bottle of solution (which last about a month or so).
    Are Bausch & Lomb like the Mercedes of Contacts or something?
    I'd be interested in getting them cheaper :)


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    #14
    leeroybrown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,563 ✭✭✭leeroybrown


    Bauch and Lomb are one of the leading manufacturers of high quality lenses (including contacts, lenses for glasses, and polarized lenses for sun-glasses).

    (They make the lenses for Ray-Bans.)


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    #15
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    Originally posted by Minesajackdaniels
    www.getlenses.com

    I use them to get my disposable one-wear Bausch & Lomb lenses. The last time I ordered them, I saved myself about £40... my optician was looking for £120, I payed £80 and they arrived in the post literally the following day.

    Was WELL impressed.

    Delivery to the UK and ROI is free.

    These guys are looking for €95 for 3 month supply of Purevision, €170 for 6 months. Specsavers want €126 for 3 months, and prolly close to twice that for the 6 months.

    [Specsavers rant]
    They want me to do a 1 month trial after which the optician will decide if he should give me the go ahead to use them. But they won't give me the month trial for free, and they won't sell me one set - they insist that I pay them for 3 months supply, of which they'll give me one set.

    Then they ask me, after doing a one week in -3.25 lens which are too week, to keep wearing them until they get 3.75s in stock next week ... uh, ok, that sounds fine... "but wait, before you leave, you have to pay for the 3 months of 3.75s which a) we don't have in stock, and b) we may not give you if we think they don't suit".

    All of the above was frustratingly explained to me in *extremely* dodgy english. I really don't have any problem with foreign nationals, but damnit, why aren't customer service people, particularly those in health-care, selected using how well they speak english as at least a *minor* criteria?!
    [/Specsavers rant]

    Al.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #16
    Cake Fiend
    Registered Users Posts: 5,335 ✭✭✭Cake Fiend


    Think I'll try them quite soon...


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    #17
    wcarey1975
    Registered Users Posts: 1,329 ✭✭✭wcarey1975


    Just to be awkward I thought that i's add my 2 cents. www.justlenses.com they seem really cheap. But word of warning just in case it's not an isolated incident I got dinged today for customs of €20.87 duty on them. Hope it's just an isolated incident. Anyway thought I'd share..


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    #18
    badolepuddytat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 162 ✭✭badolepuddytat


    Hi op, I'd recommend www.getlenses.com I save 50% on my lenses through them. Very rarely they might take a few days processing the order so don't leave it til the last minute (I have an outlandish prescription which most places wouldn't stock so it's probably just me!). If they are more than the 5 working days or whatever they normally throw in a free months worth. Word of warning about budget opticians though, I went to a prominently advertised one a few times when funds were tight and found them okay when I was wearing gas permeables, never had crystal clear vision but I'm very short sighted. Had to change to soft lenses and they were pants, worse than my glasses at the time which were about average compared to what I was used to. I complained to said opticians and was told that that was the correct prescription for me and the best vision I could get with contacts, so took them at there word. I then realised it wasn't normal not to see the number plate of a car two car lengths ahead of me :eek: (I never wore the first soft contacts driving so it was only when I was a passenger with them in I realised how bad they were). I went to a more reputable opticians after a few weeks who found that I needed a third more strength on my prescription. Very annoying and potentially dangerous!


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    #19
    what2do
    Registered Users Posts: 414 ✭✭what2do


    I used to use the Getlenses website and if I remember correctly they came from somewhere in Blackrock so customs should not be an issue. Used them for a couple of years with no problems and lots of savings!


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    #20
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    I find getlenses.com to be really good and much cheaper than Specsavers.

    A word of warning though, due to a recent Irish law, if you are ordering lenses from an Irish website, you have to provide them with a prescription from your optician from within the last 12 months. Uk/US sites don't check that.

    I had that problem because I mostly wear glasses and only occasionally wear daily disposables. Had just paid 250 for glasses, a week later realised I had to order new lenses...but my lens prescription was one month out of date...I wasn't going to give more money to Specsavers (poor student! :rolleyes:) so just ordered from a British site...still cheaper than specsavers.


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    #21
    cjt156
    Registered Users Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭cjt156


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    Had just paid 250 for glasses, a week later realised I had to order new lenses...but my lens prescription was one month out of date...I wasn't going to give more money to Specsavers (poor student! :rolleyes:) so just ordered from a British site...still cheaper than specsavers.

    Do you mean they wouldn't accept the glasses prescription for contacts? Am I missing something? Isn't the lens strength the same? Surely they don't expect the curvature and diameter to have changed?
    Sounds like a money making racket.


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    #22
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    cjt156 wrote: »
    Do you mean they wouldn't accept the glasses prescription for contacts? Am I missing something? Isn't the lens strength the same? Surely they don't expect the curvature and diameter to have changed?
    Sounds like a money making racket.

    Well I'm not sure for other people, but my lenses are toric so they have different measurements than what's on my glasses prescription, so i need a separate one. Also going to an optician just for a prescription (either for glasses or contacts) is a pain in the bum because they'll try to pressure you into buying your frames/contacts there.


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    #23
    Glowing
    Registered Users Posts: 2,851 ✭✭✭Glowing


    I've been ordering from www.yourlenses.ie and it has been the cheapest by far!


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    #24
    wcarey1975
    Registered Users Posts: 1,329 ✭✭✭wcarey1975


    thanks for the update Glowing. I'll use that one from now on I think


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    #25
    cjt156
    Registered Users Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭cjt156


    Glowing wrote: »
    I've been ordering from www.yourlenses.ie and it has been the cheapest by far!

    Nice one; just used them!


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    #26
    szyslak
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭szyslak


    I would recommend visiondirect.com cheapest I have found and have been using them for over 5 yeras. They charge $20 for international delivery but very cheap with the lenses.


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    #27
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    I get mine in Belgium.

    Whenever I head over, I go to a place called Kruidvat that sells their own brand for much cheaper than ones here.

    Suits me fine.


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    #28
    DanGerMus
    Registered Users Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    Biz> consumer surely?


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    #29
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    DanGerMus wrote: »
    Biz> consumer surely?

    Nay
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1012
    Surely.


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    #30
    DanGerMus
    Registered Users Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    kickoutthejams wrote: »
    Nay
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1012
    Surely.

    Indeed, either would be more appropriate than here.
    Although i can understand if someone actually wanted some answers why they'd post here.
    I'll also not post anymore replys here as i've nothin to add sorry for trying to mod.


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    #31
    Simplicity
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Simplicity


    Trojan wrote: »
    Just wondering if anyone has used them.

    I got eye tests & new (slightly stronger :/) prescription from Specsavers (college green) recently, but the sales staff have been annoying me with their stupidity (another story, and the optician himself was good)

    I really don't feel like giving Specsavers my hard earned cash, particularly when there's cheap online retailers available.

    I've done a trial on the all-day all-night lens and find them quite good. Since I know the manufacturer of the current lenses, and that they've only one size available (which fits me perfectly), and I have my prescription, does anyone see any pitfalls in buying online?

    Al.

    Troj,

    I have used visiondirect.com for the last 3 or 4 years.

    No Complaints. I get the exact same ones were I to order from an optician in ireland. Brand etc. Toric visitint Focus Monthly.

    With the dollar these days it is a no brainer. I get a years supply for half an irish 6 month one.

    For free eye tests you can contact the DIT optician school and they are only too happy for Volunteer.

    HTH

    [edit- My bargain buying excludes any comparison to any irish online shops]


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