Contact lenses - what a gyp!

magpie

What's the deal with trying to buy contact lenses from a shop? I know my prescription and usually get them on the interweb. However, if you try and purchase them from a shop (yes, that's right opticians - you are basically shopkeepers) they ask "is your prescription with us?" "no" you reply, "what difference does it make? I know my prescription and brand so go and get them off the shelf, I will give you money and be on my way". "Sorry," they reply, "we can't do that unless you have a prescription with us, we have to schedule you for a fitting"

This is the bit that gets me, saying that they cannot sell you contacts without a fitting/check-up (in other words without you giving them €30-60 depending on the shop). Is this actually a legal requirement? If so imposed by whom?

kaizersoze1

magpie wrote:

What's the deal with trying to buy contact lenses from a shop? I know my prescription and usually get them on the interweb. However, if you try and purchase them from a shop (yes, that's right opticians - you are basically shopkeepers) they ask "is your prescription with us?" "no" you reply, "what difference does it make? I know my prescription and brand so go and get them off the shelf, I will give you money and be on my way". "Sorry," they reply, "we can't do that unless you have a prescription with us, we have to schedule you for a fitting"

This is the bit that gets me, saying that they cannot sell you contacts without a fitting/check-up (in other words without you giving them €30-60 depending on the shop). Is this actually a legal requirement? If so imposed by whom?

get whatever optician who has your prescription to fax it to the shop, theyll accept that

connundrum

If I were a doctor and you came in saying that you usually get your prescription from teh interweb.. I'd insist on checkin ya out first otherwise I'd probably be held libel for anything wrong happening to ya.

Prob the same for the optician, although they could be just trying to rob ya

magpie

I have a prescription for glasses from specsavers, and specsavers wouldn't sell me contacts because my 'contacts prescription' is over 1 year old. Please!

If I were a doctor

They're not doctors, they're shopkeepers

I'd insist on checkin ya out first otherwise I'd probably be held libel for anything wrong happening to ya

Especially as contact lenses are so dangerous, compared with highly controlled substances like cigarettes where the shopkeeper needs to see a recent x-ray before he'll sell them to you? :rolleyes:

Anyway - to the original question - does anyone know if there is a legal requirement around this, or is it self-imposed by the opticians cartel to maximise revenue?

seamus

Afaik, there is new legislation in place in this country and in order to supply contact lenses, an optician must be in possession of the patient's prescription. I bought lenses from getlenses.com (Irish-based), and then when I tried to renew, they told me that they were obliged by law to ask me for either a signed copy of my prescription, or contact details for my optician (to obtain said copy). I went with visionexpress.com instead because they ship from outside of Ireland.

So to answer your question magpie, yes they are legally required to have your prescription. Your own word won't do. I guess it's to prevent people "damaging" their eyesight by getting their prescription wrong....*boggle*

magpie

Afaik, there is new legislation in place in this country and in order to supply contact lenses, an optician must be in possession of the patient's prescription

Fair enough, but does it state anything about there being a difference between a prescription for glasses Vs contacts? The contact lenses dept in specsavers is downstairs from the glasses bit and they were insisting on a €30 "fitting" despite the fact my prescription was upstairs.

This is why I buy from Lens.com, but for those occasions when you get caught out it would be nice to be able to buy a box of 30 to tide you over.

connundrum

magpie wrote:

I have a prescription for glasses from specsavers, and specsavers wouldn't sell me contacts because my 'contacts prescription' is over 1 year old. Please!

Sorry, at what point in your original post did you mention this?

magpie wrote:

Especially as contact lenses are so dangerous, compared with highly controlled substances like cigarettes where the shopkeeper needs to see a recent x-ray before he'll sell them to you? :rolleyes:

A friend received a wrong prescription from them before (total mistake) and ended up nearly blinding himself for a day because of it.

Only trying to fcukin help anyway, roll your eyes elsewhere.

magpie

The point is there is no such thing as a 'contacts prescription' - you have one prescription for your eyes and that's it - you can't have a 'current' glasses precription and an 'expired' contacts prescription, that's just nonsense.

BC

magpie wrote:

The point is there is no such thing as a 'contacts prescription' - you have one prescription for your eyes and that's it - you can't have a 'current' glasses precription and an 'expired' contacts prescription, that's just nonsense.

Not true.
With most people it is not possible to get the same level of vision with contacts and glasses. I have been wearing glasses for 17 years and contacts for 10 years and I have never had the same prescription for both. My glasses are slightly stronger because i'm effectively 'between sizes' with contacts. My various opticians over the years have assured me that this is quite normal. The reason a lot of people don't notice is because they don't keep their glasses prescription up to date when they get contacts.

As someone else mentioned it is law that you must have a valid prescription when buying contacts in Ireland.

seamus

magpie wrote:

The point is there is no such thing as a 'contacts prescription' - you have one prescription for your eyes and that's it - you can't have a 'current' glasses precription and an 'expired' contacts prescription, that's just nonsense.

Nope, two very different prescriptions. While the principles may be the same, the fact that the lens sits on your eyeball and focusses all light means that different calculations have to be made for glasses and for lenses. In fact I have an in-date lenses prescription and an out-of-date glasses prescription, so it works both ways.
If you have astigmatism, things like the rotation of the lens also have to be measured, which is something that's not accounted for at all in a glasses prescription.

GenericName

I get my contacts online, www.visiondirect.com as they are about 1/3 the price of buying them in Ireland (incl delivery). They actually called my Irish optician to confirm my prescription. I don't think they are obliged to do so. I guess they are being responsible at the very least.

I'm still registered as a customer ( if you wanna stick to the retail analogy ) with vision express in Liffey Valley so I get a free test every 6 months.

abetarrush

I got mine from www.yourlenses.ie

It was €29 incl P&P for 6 Pairs of Monthly lenses, and they arrived on the estimated arrival date, and they're great, im well happy with them

Monthlies cost at least 60 in the ShOpticians

LikeOhMyGawd!

magpie wrote:

The point is there is no such thing as a 'contacts prescription' - you have one prescription for your eyes and that's it - you can't have a 'current' glasses precription and an 'expired' contacts prescription, that's just nonsense.

Your ignorance is appaling, although hardly surprising.

Contact lenses and glasses prescriptions differ for a number of reasons.
Firstly, glasses' lenses sit away from the eye while contact lenses sit on the eye (is that hard for you to recognise?). This difference in relative positions results in different optical performance of the lenses and so must be accounted for. Secondly, contact lenses are characterised differently from glasses as the curvature of the cornea and the diameter of the contact lens with respect to the diameter of the cornea must also be accounted for. Furthermore, as contacts reside on the eye the risk of infection is high and so the general state of the eye's health must also be assessed before prescribing an appropriate lens.

magpie wrote:

They're not doctors, they're shopkeepers

Optometrists are not 'shopkeepers' and, in fact, some are doctors. Usually a practice manager does the shopkeeping freeing the optometrist professionals to put into practice those things they learned during their degree and ongoing professional studies.

(Dare I ask what your profession is? :rolleyes:)

magpie

Secondly, contact lenses are characterised differently from glasses as the curvature of the cornea and the diameter of the contact lens with respect to the diameter of the cornea must also be accounted for.

Yes, yes, yes - which is why I use Focus dailies as originally prescribed by an Optechnicitrist. You'll note that these contacts are only available in a base curve of 8.6 and diameter of 13.8 and they hand them out to almost everyone, so that's one theory shot down.

Also, judging by your logic Optoshopkeepers should also stock glasses frames in a number of different sizes for each style, measure the distance between the centre of your cornea and the bridge of your nose and ensure you get the right frames for your face to ensure you get the correct focal length for your lens (online glasses shops recommend you take these measurements yourself, you then pick the frames you want in the right size). Any Eyeshop I've been into in Ireland that I have asked "do you have these in different sizes to ensure a proper fit" I've been told "no, one size only". The best one was last week when a "Highly Trained Professional" told me "sure, don't worry - we can just bend them a bit".

Dare I ask what your profession is?

Suffice to say 7 years of graduate and postgraduate training and 10 years experience at this stage, so enough not to be intimidated by trumped up shopkeepers in white coats.

If you have astigmatism, things like the rotation of the lens also have to be measured, which is something that's not accounted for at all in a glasses prescription

Erm, no. You can correct astigmatism through a fixed lens (e.g. glasses) but there is nothing you can do about it with contacts as they are perfectly circular - unless you have ones with a little "this way up" arrow to show you the correct rotation to fit them in.

LikeOhMyGawd!

magpie wrote:

Erm, no. You can correct astigmatism through a fixed lens (e.g. glasses) but there is nothing you can do about it with contacts as they are perfectly circular - unless you have ones with a little "this way up" arrow to show you the correct rotation to fit them in.

Erm, no. Astimatism can be accomodated by using toric or bitoric contact lenses. These are not 'perfectly circular' (to use your parlance) but shaped according to the degree of astigmatism in the eye. When placed on the cornea they align themselves in the correct position so there is no need for "this way up" arrows (although hard toric lenses often do have a either a little 'L' or 'R' etched on them which are viewable through an ophthalmoscope).

Agamemnon

This thread is very educational. I think I've learned enough to go into business as an optometrist myself.
I always thought they looked for a prescription to cover themselves legally in case your eyes were infected by the lenses.

magpie

Astimatism can be accomodated by using toric or bitoric contact lenses

I need to get you to phone my Optician and explain that to them. They specifically told me there was nothing you could do about astygmatism with contacts.

Dagnir Glaurung

magpie wrote:

I need to get you to phone my Optician and explain that to them. They specifically told me there was nothing you could do about astygmatism with contacts.

Name and shame them! You can wear contacts lenses. link

rmacm

magpie wrote:

I need to get you to phone my Optician and explain that to them. They specifically told me there was nothing you could do about astygmatism with contacts.

I work for a company that makes contact lenses. I'm afriad your optician is wrong as this particular company makes lenses designed to correct astygmatism those being the toric and bitoric lenses. They're harder to make than normal lenses and the company even stopped making them here in Ireland for a while although they continued making them in the other production plant in the US.

Cheers
Rory

irlrobins

1) There is a legal requirement for dispensing opticians to have a current prescription on file.
2) Contact lens prescription is different from glasses prescription. I'm about -4 for glases, -3.5 for lenses.
3) I have astigmatism and use Toric Dailies. However, i think the level of astigmatism can vary, so while some people can use contacts, others find them uncomfortable.
4) Contact lenses are far far cheaper online. Just get an eye test with your optician and ask for a copy of it. They are obligied to give it to you.
5) I've used both getlenses.com and opticiansonline.ie. Both very good on prices and prompt service. It's usually good to go with company with a good rep as some internet suppliers supply lens that are close to their best before date.

Dr Galen

can i just ask one of you guys in the know if i need my actual prescription to order online or can i just get all i need from the boxes my old lense came in. They have all sorts of mad numbers on the labels.......

irlrobins

Depends on the site. Most reputable ones will require a copy of your prescription (i.e. they contact your optician or you fax a signed copy of your prescription to them). Having the boxes proves nothing.

Fraggle Rocks

Trumped up shopkeepers? Laughable.

Dr Galen

irlrobins wrote:

Depends on the site. Most reputable ones will require a copy of your prescription (i.e. they contact your optician or you fax a signed copy of your prescription to them). Having the boxes proves nothing.

cheers man, i thought i could just fill in the blanks.

John R

nurse_baz wrote:

cheers man, i thought i could just fill in the blanks.

You can, as long as you don't use an Irish based supplier.

I have ordered a nomber of times from http://www.visiondirect.com/

They are based in the US and I found them to be excellent and by far the cheapest available.

As for the lenses being near their best before date, I order a years supply of dailies and they are well eithin their date at the end of the year.

Just make sure you use the same brand and specification as your current lenses.

If you use shop-brand lenses (such as specsavers) then google them, they are just re-boxed lenses from one of the major manufacturers.

Dr Galen

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=94275

DeVore wrote:

Guys and gals, I'm glad this board seems to help people who want to get a head-check or whatever but we are NOT licensed to give ANYONE medical advice and with the number of jokers round these parts you shouldnt take any medical advice on this board without checking with your personal GP first.

If you have a specific medical question like "X is wrong with me, what should I do" then take it to a doctor or free medical advice clinic. If you want to ask "I have X wrong with me, anyone else share this?" to find people who might be having the same problem as you, thats fine.

Please please please do NOT GIVE medical advice out on these boards, no matter how well intentioned you could put the entire admin team in jail

DeV.

please follow these rules.
thanks.
julep.

robinph

John R wrote:

You can, as long as you don't use an Irish based supplier.

I have ordered a nomber of times from http://www.visiondirect.com/

They are based in the US and I found them to be excellent and by far the cheapest available.

As for the lenses being near their best before date, I order a years supply of dailies and they are well eithin their date at the end of the year.

Just make sure you use the same brand and specification as your current lenses.

If you use shop-brand lenses (such as specsavers) then google them, they are just re-boxed lenses from one of the major manufacturers.

I've found visiondirect.com to be about the best deal there is online although I'm pretty sure that they didn't actually contact my optician and just sent out what I'd ordered straight away.

The tricky bit though is figuring out what the actual manufaturer of all of the reboxed own-brands are really.

Crucifix

Anyone know how progressive (varifocal) contacts work? I've been assured they exist, but simply cannot fathom how they would work.

magpie

can i just ask one of you guys in the know if i need my actual prescription to order online or can i just get all i need from the boxes my old lense came in

Go to Lens.com, fill in the blanks, pay a fraction of the cost - sit back and wait for lenses to arrive. No prescription necessary (other than you have to know what your prescription is, which in of itself implies you have a) got contacts recently b) seen an optician recently).

I work for a company that makes contact lenses

Maybe you can help me with this one? What specifically is the difference between daily disposables and monthly disposables, other than the packaging? You see, I was told by a guy who worked for a large optics manufacturer that they were the same product, just marketed differently. Have you heard this?

Crucifix

magpie wrote:

Maybe you can help me with this one? What specifically is the difference between daily disposables and monthly disposables, other than the packaging? You see, I was told by a guy who worked for a large optics manufacturer that they were the same product, just marketed differently. Have you heard this?

Speaking from experience of use, the noticable difference seems to be that monthly lenses are thicker.

dcarroll

does anyone know what brand the specsavers daily lenses are? and where is the cheapest place to buy them online? i have my perscription if needed

magpie

does anyone know what brand the specsavers daily lenses are? and where is the cheapest place to buy them online? i have my perscription if needed

Focus Dailies - Lens.com or Visiondirect.com

Kintarō Hattori

I am so disappointed in you Magpie!
(And don't go getting all abusive on me!!!)

magpie

I am so disappointed in you Magpie!

You should've learned not to expect any better by now!

Pigman II

So why don't all you contacts people get blasted with the old lazer? Should work out cheaper in the long-run. Zap zap zap! Yeah baby.

bp_me

Crucifix wrote:

Anyone know how progressive (varifocal) contacts work? I've been assured they exist, but simply cannot fathom how they would work.

From memory, something about there being different zones on the lens. I'll try to find the relevant reading material.

edit: http://www.bausch.com/en_US/ecp/visioncare/product/softcontacts/purevision_multifocal.aspx

try www.uspto.gov if you want to find the patent that surely protects the technology.

magpie wrote:

Maybe you can help me with this one? What specifically is the difference between daily disposables and monthly disposables, other than the packaging? You see, I was told by a guy who worked for a large optics manufacturer that they were the same product, just marketed differently. Have you heard this?

a) different manufacturing process
b) dailies are much more likely to tear during handling. They arent as strong as the monthlys.
c) different monomer

JPA

Maybe you can help me with this one? What specifically is the difference between daily disposables and monthly disposables, other than the packaging? You see, I was told by a guy who worked for a large optics manufacturer that they were the same product, just marketed differently. Have you heard this?

Monthlys allow more air to go through the lens and onto your eye which means you can continuously wear them without getting sore eyes.