Best Daily Contact Lenses

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Paul1977

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#318558 29-Jan-2025 11:50

I'm short sighted and for years I've been using Air Optix Aqua Night & Day continuous wear lenses (pop them in at start of month and leave them in all month). But a few things have prompted me to consider changing.

Recently I've notice I need to take them out more often and give them a bit of a clean to keep my vision good
My close vision is perfect without lenses, but with lenses in it seems to be getting worse (phone or book needs to be held further away to read).
A new pair of Air Optix Aqua Night & Day has always irritated my eyes for the first day or two of wear (but are fine after that).

Visited optometrist who did a thorough check of vision and eye health, all looks good but suggested the lens looked a little "tight" on my eye and gave me another brand of continuous wear lenses to try (Biofinity). Both have a base curve of 8.6, but she felt the different materials made the Biofinity fit me a little better (i.e. moved more freely). Unfortunately I found these felt dryer faster, and my vision wasn't quite as sharp with them.

So I've decided to give dailies a try as they'll have the advantage of giving me better closeup vision at night for reading/iPad use in bed after I remove them, but still allow me to not have to muck around with cleaning and storing lenses at night. But at a significant price increase.

Optometrist gave me samples of Dailies Total1 and Precision1 to try (she hasn't assessed the fit of these as they just put them aside for me to collect). But neither feels uncomfortable so far (tried Total1 yesterday, and am trying Precsion1 today).

Has anyone here tried both of these and, if so, what did you prefer and why? Also, are there any other dailies I should try? I know that experience varies from person to person, but I can't realistically try every lens out there so is always good to get general opinions from others.

I've read some reports of people finding the Precision1 gave them sharper vision, but this also has the smallest base curve of 8.3 so not sure if that could be a problem long term. Total1 has a base curve of 8.5, which is close to the 8.6 I've used for years, but some feel they aren't quite as sharp or stable as Prescision1.

Price is not a primary consideration (within reason), but I don't want to waste money either:

Total1 = $276 for 3 months

Precision1 = $222 for 3 months

Air Optix Aqua Night & Day = $90 for 3 months

Any and all experience/thoughts from others would be appreciated.

Thanks

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#3336978 29-Jan-2025 12:32

I've used Focus Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus for many years and find them very comfortable and good vision. Cost of latest order was $272 for 180 pairs of lenses (I'm -2 in both eyes so prescription is very simple) from specsavers

I tried varifocal lenses a few years ago as close vision became more difficult, but found them totally useless. I now use reading glasses as needed while wearing contacts

mudguard

2120 posts

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#3336982 29-Jan-2025 13:05

I had to look mine up. I've worn lenses since I was sixteen (now in my forties) and my eyes simply don't tolerate them as long. When I was in my teens I'd put them in the morning, wear them until bedtime and it was no issue. Now often I can't wait to take them out. I think I'm on the most moist (I can't remember the actual term, porous?) dailies.

I use Dailies Total 1 or something. I generally get the 90 pack each month, but they build up, so every few months I pause the subscription as I have too many.

I do not miss cleaning or storing them. And whilst I think it's a bit wasteful, I think it's much better for my actual eyes. Each month I'll put some in my cars, some in my golf bag, my mountainbike kit etc so if I have an issue there are some clean sterile ones nearby.

Paul1977

5052 posts

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#3336991 29-Jan-2025 13:33

shk292:

I've used Focus Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus for many years and find them very comfortable and good vision. Cost of latest order was $272 for 180 pairs of lenses (I'm -2 in both eyes so prescription is very simple) from specsavers

I tried varifocal lenses a few years ago as close vision became more difficult, but found them totally useless. I now use reading glasses as needed while wearing contacts

I like the price, but the oxygen permeability of those is a lot lower than what I'm used to. That said, I do tend to go straight to the Ferrari even when there's a perfectly good Toyota available.

The way the optometrist explained the pros and cons of multifocal contacts makes me think they wouldn't be for me either.

Paul1977

5052 posts

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#3336994 29-Jan-2025 13:46

mudguard:

I had to look mine up. I've worn lenses since I was sixteen (now in my forties) and my eyes simply don't tolerate them as long. When I was in my teens I'd put them in the morning, wear them until bedtime and it was no issue. Now often I can't wait to take them out. I think I'm on the most moist (I can't remember the actual term, porous?) dailies.

I use Dailies Total 1 or something. I generally get the 90 pack each month, but they build up, so every few months I pause the subscription as I have too many.

I do not miss cleaning or storing them. And whilst I think it's a bit wasteful, I think it's much better for my actual eyes. Each month I'll put some in my cars, some in my golf bag, my mountainbike kit etc so if I have an issue there are some clean sterile ones nearby.

The Total1 is meant to be a top tier lens for comfort and preventing dry eyes.

I'm sitting here in a pair of Precision1 lenses trying to decide if they are less comfortable than the Total1, or if it's just I'm hyper focused on my eyes since I only have a couple of trial pairs before I'll need to order some.

timmmay

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#3337002 29-Jan-2025 14:53

I moved from monthly wear to Total1 dailies a few years ago after 10+ years on the monthly lenses, I find them much more comfortable.

This is not recommended as such, but you can wear them for a week, so long as you take them out to clean them at night - my optometrist says officially he doesn't recommend it but in practice it's unlikely to cause problems. I discovered this when I ran out once.

johno1234

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#3337005 29-Jan-2025 15:15

How do you clean them?

timmmay

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#3337020 29-Jan-2025 16:34

Standard contact lens cleaner. I use Acuvue, I read a study a few years ago that suggested it was the one that worked the best for most people.

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johno1234

2808 posts

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#3337028 29-Jan-2025 17:07

timmmay:

Standard contact lens cleaner. I use Acuvue, I read a study a few years ago that suggested it was the one that worked the best for most people.

So you just put them in a lens case with a squirt of the cleaner and slosh it around and leave overnight? I've only ever had daily disposables which I dispose daily so have zero idea what "cleaning" them actually entails.

The ones I wear are so delicate and gladwrap- like I don't think they'd withstand much if anything more than that. Just the suction on my cornea has been enough to tear them in half if I am not careful plucking them out.

Paul1977

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#3337048 29-Jan-2025 18:17

It depends on the particular solution I think (some claim to be non-rub); but generally you wash your hands, take lenses out, wet them with solution, rub each side with your finger, rinse off with more solution, then into a case with even more solution.

Seems like a pain to do every day which is why I’ve stuck with continuous wear until now, and aren’t interested in changing to anything that requires nightly cleaning.

While lenses are thin, I think they’re pretty tough. However I wouldn’t be planning on using a single-use lens multiple days anyway unless in an emergency.

Asteros

268 posts

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#3337118 29-Jan-2025 20:07

I have been using Dailies Total one for 5+ years now. I have dry eyes and find them the most comfortable brand. Switching to daily disposables was a good move. I shop around and find cheaper prices from reputable NZ based optometrists.

timmmay

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#3337120 29-Jan-2025 20:11

I just put the Total1 dailies in the solution overnight, I don't rub them. My understanding is the rubbing is to remove proteins that build up, but I discard them before that happens.

Paul1977

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#3337255 30-Jan-2025 09:55

timmmay:

I just put the Total1 dailies in the solution overnight, I don't rub them. My understanding is the rubbing is to remove proteins that build up, but I discard them before that happens.

@timmmay If you're happy reusing the contacts for multiples days with (some) cleaning and storing overnight, can I ask why you wouldn't just use monthlies like Total30 (which use the same comfort technology)? Seems like you're losing the main benefit of daily disposables by reusing them.

Paul1977

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#3337260 30-Jan-2025 10:25

Asteros:

I have been using Dailies Total one for 5+ years now. I have dry eyes and find them the most comfortable brand. Switching to daily disposables was a good move. I shop around and find cheaper prices from reputable NZ based optometrists.

@Asteros Where do you get yours currently? @timmmay linked Visique which have the Total1 and Precision1 the cheapest I've seen.

I'm on my 2nd day with Presision1, will do them for another day after today then switch back to Total1 for another couple of days. I don't know that I'm noticing any major difference between the two.

If there's no clear winner I might try a couple of days with one in each eye - that might be the best comparison.

I'd read online a lot of people have significant difficulty removing Precision1, so I'd mentally prepared myself. It was rather anticlimactic when they came out incredibly easily.

timmmay

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#3337310 30-Jan-2025 10:30

Paul1977:

@timmmay If you're happy reusing the contacts for multiples days with (some) cleaning and storing overnight, can I ask why you wouldn't just use monthlies like Total30 (which use the same comfort technology)? Seems like you're losing the main benefit of daily disposables by reusing them.

The Total1 feel much more comfortable to me, particularly in one eye. The optometrist told me why that is, something to do with my eye, but I don't recall the details. I wonder if the dailies are a bit thinner which helps comfort.

My optometrist told me he'd heard that Total1 were originally developed as a weekly lens, but that didn't pan out mostly for regulatory reasons. They are definitely a daily lens, but I use them weekly with nightly removal. I've done this for at least a few years, my optometrist and ophthalmologist say my eyes are in good health. I don't recommend this usage though as it's not what they're designed for.

If monthly lenses are comfortable I recommend those rather than using dailies out of spec.

Asteros

268 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3337322 30-Jan-2025 10:56

I prefer to buy my lenses from actual optometrists with a shop; it's just my preference for safety/authenticity.

1) VisionX (in Parnell Auckland not far from work and they accept Amex)

2) contacts.net.nz

I'd never heard of Visique Hutt Valley but their prices are similar so that's another option I can try. Thanks!

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