Best Daily Contact Lenses

Forums › Health and fitness › Best Daily Contact Lenses

1 | 2

Paul1977

5007 posts

Uber Geek

#3337350 30-Jan-2025 12:12

timmmay:

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.

That's interesting. The Total30 monthlies have virtually the same oxygen permeability and are actually slightly thinner than the Total1. And both use the same "Water Gradient Technology" to prevent dry eyes. In theory they should feel the same, just with the added hassle of cleaning/storage.

Asteros

231 posts

Master Geek

#3337354 30-Jan-2025 12:22

I think you could purchase 1 month's supply of Total 1 and give it a try because it takes time to get used to different brands. I change them out daily and my eyes feel much better from not using the cleaning solutions.

johno1234

2741 posts

Uber Geek

#3337371 30-Jan-2025 12:38

Asteros:

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!

I would like to support local, but for my Dailies Acquacomfort Plus I find clearly ($76.50) cheaper than contacts.net.nz ($92) and Vision I'm not sure about as their website advertises "six month's supply" at $152 but what exactly us that? Daily use for six months and two eyes is about 360 lenses. I don't wear mine that often - usually only when I'm doing sports or something that is a problem for spectacles.

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3337372 30-Jan-2025 12:38

Paul1977:

timmmay:

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.

That's interesting. The Total30 monthlies have virtually the same oxygen permeability and are actually slightly thinner than the Total1. And both use the same "Water Gradient Technology" to prevent dry eyes. In theory they should feel the same, just with the added hassle of cleaning/storage.

I've never heard of Total30. I'll have to have a look, thanks!

Asteros

231 posts

Master Geek

#3337381 30-Jan-2025 12:52

johno1234:

Asteros:

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!

I would like to support local, but for my Dailies Acquacomfort Plus I find clearly ($76.50) cheaper than contacts.net.nz ($92) and Vision I'm not sure about as their website advertises "six month's supply" at $152 but what exactly us that? Daily use for six months and two eyes is about 360 lenses. I don't wear mine that often - usually only when I'm doing sports or something that is a problem for spectacles.

I use Total 1 and clearly are $50 more expensive than the shops listed.

Paul1977

5007 posts

Uber Geek

#3337447 30-Jan-2025 15:30

Asteros:

I think you could purchase 1 month's supply of Total 1 and give it a try because it takes time to get used to different brands. I change them out daily and my eyes feel much better from not using the cleaning solutions.

I'll see how I go after a few more days as I got 5 sets of each. Optometrist gave me some MyDay dailies today as well, so now I have trials of the three dailies that she generally recommends. And three is enough, or I'll get even more confused - plus I don't want to try ones she isn't recommending.

I wanted the Total1 to feel hands down better to make the decision easy. But I think after wearing continuous lenses close to 24/7 for the best part of 20 years, any daily disposable is probably going to feel fine to me.

We'll see how I feel after trying each for a couple more days, then I'll just pick one and buy to try longer as you suggest.

Paul1977

5007 posts

Uber Geek

#3337451 30-Jan-2025 15:49

timmmay:

I've never heard of Total30. I'll have to have a look, thanks!

I believe they're a lot newer than Total1. I think the idea was for a budget friendly monthly option for those who don't mind the nightly cleaning routine, but with similar comfort to the Total1 dailies.

I do have a trial of Total30, but haven't tried them so can't give any firsthand impressions. I took the trial pair because I thought they were continuous wear and figured no harm in trying them, but turns out they aren't and actually need daily cleaning and storage. Daily cleaning = I'm not interested!

Hatch

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Hatch (affiliate link).

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3337457 30-Jan-2025 16:11

Before I put a new Total1 contact in my eye I sometimes put it into my own solution for a minute first - my eye likes that solution better than the one they come in.

I actually keep the Total1 daily in my left eye for a whole week without taking it out to clean it. Sometimes I take it out overnight one night to give my eye a break. So I think the Total30 would be fine to leave in for a few days at a time in practice. I take the contact out of my right eye every night because otherwise it feels a bit off the next day. I also use lubricating eye drops every morning.

Here's a comparison I made with Perplexity AI

johno1234

2741 posts

Uber Geek

#3337512 30-Jan-2025 16:59

Occasionally I forget to take out my Dailies AquaComfort disposables, which always leaves me with gummed up eyes the next morning. I'd hate to leave them in all week. Not sure if it's me or the lenses.

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3337515 30-Jan-2025 17:14

Different lenses work very differently.

insane

3224 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#3337567 31-Jan-2025 04:30

For me I found Easyvision Umere (toric) were the most comfortable. Think they are rebranded Clariti 1's.

I tried every option available, some like the Acuvue Moist felt nice and soft at first, but would then cause dry eye more easily.

I have astigmatism so contacts are hit and miss as they can only get close to your real prescription, but not dead on unless you happen to have a angle offset that perfectly matches what they manufacture.

Paul1977

5007 posts

Uber Geek

#3337617 31-Jan-2025 09:51

timmmay:

Before I put a new Total1 contact in my eye I sometimes put it into my own solution for a minute first - my eye likes that solution better than the one they come in.

I actually keep the Total1 daily in my left eye for a whole week without taking it out to clean it. Sometimes I take it out overnight one night to give my eye a break. So I think the Total30 would be fine to leave in for a few days at a time in practice. I take the contact out of my right eye every night because otherwise it feels a bit off the next day. I also use lubricating eye drops every morning.

Here's a comparison I made with Perplexity AI

@timmmay Lenses approved for continuous wear have higher oxygen permeability than any of those (but not by a huge amount), e.g. Air Optix Aqua Night & Day is 175 Dk/t @ -3.00D. But I don't know if oxygen permeability is the only factor to consider, I would have assumed there'd be more that goes into a lens being suitable for continuous wear for it to require little (or no) cleaning.

I personally wouldn't be comfortable consistently using lenses that far outside the scope of what they're approved for (even if my eyes felt OK doing it). I don't know how old you are, but you want to make sure you're not potentially causing any gradual damage.

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3337621 31-Jan-2025 10:12

Paul1977:

@timmmay Lenses approved for continuous wear have higher oxygen permeability than any of those (but not by a huge amount), e.g. Air Optix Aqua Night & Day is 175 Dk/t @ -3.00D. But I don't know if oxygen permeability is the only factor to consider, I would have assumed there'd be more that goes into a lens being suitable for continuous wear for it to require little (or no) cleaning.

I personally wouldn't be comfortable consistently using lenses that far outside the scope of what they're approved for (even if my eyes felt OK doing it). I don't know how old you are, but you want to make sure you're not potentially causing any gradual damage.

I generally agree with you. I have approval for this from my optometrist, and I have comprehensive checkups with the ophthalmologist every 9 - 12 months to monitor a condition that is unrelated to contact lenses.

Paul1977

5007 posts

Uber Geek

#3342303 13-Feb-2025 09:13

Went with Precision1 in the end. For me they give noticeably sharper vision that the Total1 or MyDay (and also sharper than Total30 monthlies which I tried just because I could).

They are possibly fractionally less comfortable than Total1, but are by no means uncomfortable. I'm getting through the full day to bedtime without any discomfort/irritation or the need to use wetting drops. And it's a bonus that they're also the cheapest of the 3 dailies I tried.

After having used them a few more days I can confirm that the Presicion1 is the most difficult to remove of all the lenses I've tried after all (first time was easy, but subsequent days took a couple attempts - but nothing like some of the horror stories I read online about people taking over an hour to get them out). There's just a bit of a technique where it's easier to slide the lens down off your iris before pinching (with a little more pressure than usual) to remove - for me this doesn't cause any discomfort and only adds a couple of seconds of time. The Total1 by comparison easily pinches straight off the iris without any special technique and only light pressure.

But we'll see how they go over the next month or so as I just got by supply a couple of days ago.

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3373863 17-May-2025 08:18

I recently got around to trying out the sample Total30 lenses I got from my optometrist. Each night I took one lens out to give my eye a rest, as being long sighted when I don't have a contact lens in it's quite difficult to see them to get them in my eye.

I had the Total30 lenses in for 3.5 weeks, slightly less than the recommended 4 weeks. Initially I found them very similar feel and comfort to the Total1 lenses, but the last week or so I found them slightly less comfortable and some days had to use eye drops twice per day instead of once per day. I took them out about 3-5 days before the recommended month. Still, fairly similar comfort, not quite as good for me. The Total30 are about the same power for the same number, which isn't always true between contact lenses, particularly between brands.

For me the Total30 are good lenses, but I'm going to continue using the Total1 lenses for up to a week each, as they're a little more comfortable for me.

1 | 2