Aquify or Replenish Solution for Oasys Contacts?

Frodo · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 04:03 PM

I'm not here to sell anything, I just want to gather some opinions. Forums are great for that. Here's the question.

I'm asking which solution you like for Acuvue Oasys - Aquify or Replenish? Have any of you reading this used both of these solutions and found that you like one over the other?
Thanks in advance.

rfriel · #2 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 02:30 PM

check out

staininggrid.com, tells you what solutions to use with different contact lens brands.

Frodo · #3 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

check out

staininggrid.com, tells you what solutions to use with different contact lens brands.

Thanks, rfriel. I've seen that staining grid before and it's a useful site. I was kinda hoping for some personal stories though, ya know?

rfriel · #4 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frodo

Thanks, rfriel. I've seen that staining grid before and it's a useful site. I was kinda hoping for some personal stories though, ya know?

oh, personal, ok, here goes, i wear biofinity and oasys and use clear care and aquify. i dont like the idea of lens soaking all night in solution so i tend to use clearcare for over night cleaning disinfecting and aquify after removal at night for a clean rub. but a few days ago i tried leaving lens in aquify overnight, the next day upon insertion, lens felt really good, in fact, i went the whole day, 18+ hours without a lens issue. so i start thinking about wetting angle and find that wetting angle of clearcare is 112 degrees after 10 hours and 98 degree for aquify, maybe that's why i had a better experience after soaking in aquify, the wetting angle is less. but it could just be allergies too, i have to take claritin or zyrtec somedays because of eye allergies, and allergies are never consistant, some days good, some days bad. but then i read about otifree-replenish with tearglyde having a wetting angle of <10degrees after 14 hours, WOW, but then optifree replenish does have a higher staining with oasys and biofinity. so what do to?? i think i'll try optifree replenish for 1 bottle and see if i notice a difference in how lens feel after 18+ hours, see if the lens feel any better than aquify or clear care, 1 bottle isnt going to hurt my eyes just to try it. somedays, i have to take lens out for 10 min, soak in aquify the reinsert, only takes 1 min, then my lens feel very refreshed.

contact lens wear in highly individual and personal, you just have to find the right combination of lens and solutions, cleaning habits and disinfection regime that works for each individual. i know people who find a system that works and they dont want to change, but there may be something better available, take biofnity for example, high Dk/t, low modulus, high water, very low wetting angle and no surface treatments, is this the perfect lens or what? but still some cant wear biofinity because of allergies, so i think the next best lens is oasys, but there seems to be many allergies to oasys as well, so it goes on.....and on.....and on......

http://www.refractiveeyecare.com/pdfs/optifree-jan10-final-web--s-37.pdf

Rosetyler · #5 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

oh, personal, ok, here goes, i wear biofinity and oasys and use clear care and aquify. i dont like the idea of lens soaking all night in solution so i tend to use clearcare for over night cleaning disinfecting and aquify after removal at night for a clean rub. but a few days ago i tried leaving lens in aquify overnight, the next day upon insertion, lens felt really good, in fact, i went the whole day, 18+ hours without a lens issue. so i start thinking about wetting angle and find that wetting angle of clearcare is 112 degrees after 10 hours and 98 degree for aquify, maybe that's why i had a better experience after soaking in aquify, the wetting angle is less. but it could just be allergies too, i have to take claritin or zyrtec somedays because of eye allergies, and allergies are never consistant, some days good, some days bad. but then i read about otifree-replenish with tearglyde having a wetting angle of <10degrees after 14 hours, WOW, but then optifree replenish does have a higher staining with oasys and biofinity. so what do to?? i think i'll try optifree replenish for 1 bottle and see if i notice a difference in how lens feel after 18+ hours, see if the lens feel any better than aquify or clear care, 1 bottle isnt going to hurt my eyes just to try it. somedays, i have to take lens out for 10 min, soak in aquify the reinsert, only takes 1 min, then my lens feel very refreshed.

contact lens wear in highly individual and personal, you just have to find the right combination of lens and solutions, cleaning habits and disinfection regime that works for each individual. i know people who find a system that works and they dont want to change, but there may be something better available, take biofnity for example, high Dk/t, low modulus, high water, very low wetting angle and no surface treatments, is this the perfect lens or what? but still some cant wear biofinity because of allergies, so i think the next best lens is oasys, but there seems to be many allergies to oasys as well, so it goes on.....and on.....and on......

http://www.refractiveeyecare.com/pdfs/optifree-jan10-final-web--s-37.pdf

Hey, thanks for the great post, rfriel. So you had a better experience with Aquify than you did with Clear Care, and now you're going to try Optifree Replenish? Do let us know what your results are, okay?

HMBgal · #6 (**permalink**) 01-29-2010, 09:11 AM

Hmmmm. Interesting information. According to the chart, my Aquify with my Proclears is 12%. So, is this chart saying that for maximum comfort, I should try one of the 1% types? And the plain old saline doesn't disinfect, right? So I would actually need something else if I were to select the non-preservative saline? I think the chart brought up more questions than it answered for me. Since my doctor gave me the Aquify, I just assumed it was the best for comfort. But perhaps the Aquify representative left more samples that the other guys? I do see on one of the charts that more staining correlates strongly with less comfort. And there are over 3,000 people in the study, so that's a pretty large sample size. Again, Hmmmmmm.

rfriel · #7 (**permalink**) 01-29-2010, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMBgal

Hmmmm. Interesting information. According to the chart, my Aquify with my Proclears is 12%. So, is this chart saying that for maximum comfort, I should try one of the 1% types? And the plain old saline doesn't disinfect, right? So I would actually need something else if I were to select the non-preservative saline? I think the chart brought up more questions than it answered for me. Since my doctor gave me the Aquify, I just assumed it was the best for comfort. But perhaps the Aquify representative left more samples that the other guys? I do see on one of the charts that more staining correlates strongly with less comfort. And there are over 3,000 people in the study, so that's a pretty large sample size. Again, Hmmmmmm.

the staining grid shows epithelial defects, may or may not be caused by toxicity to solution. an intact epi layer is the primary defense against infection in the cornea. staining with floursiene shows possible defects in the epi layer. high staining means the lens absorbs the solution, then release the solution into the epi layer during the contact lens wear time. nothing to do with comfort. the OD will tell you if the contact lens fits your cornea, the OD does not tell you what solution or contact lens to wear, that is YOUR decision, the OD recommends, that is all. it is up to you to do your own research to determine which solution is best for your comfort and lens and wearing modality. read this forum, there alot of good info and personal experience to be absorbed, thought about, and eventually, you can come to your own decision about what is best for you. the OD can help recommend, but you decide what is best for your health and your eyes, if the OD does not agree, dump the OD and find another one, they are a dime a dozen, especailly at walmart.

VAB · #8 (**permalink**) 01-29-2010, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

the staining grid shows epithelial defects, may or may not be caused by toxicity to solution. an intact epi layer is the primary defense against infection in the cornea. staining with floursiene shows possible defects in the epi layer. high staining means the lens absorbs the solution, then release the solution into the epi layer during the contact lens wear time. nothing to do with comfort. the OD will tell you if the contact lens fits your cornea, the OD does not tell you what solution or contact lens to wear, that is YOUR decision, the OD recommends, that is all. it is up to you to do your own research to determine which solution is best for your comfort and lens and wearing modality. read this forum, there alot of good info and personal experience to be absorbed, thought about, and eventually, you can come to your own decision about what is best for you. the OD can help recommend, but you decide what is best for your health and your eyes, if the OD does not agree, dump the OD and find another one, they are a dime a dozen, especailly at walmart.

Yes, you're right rfriel. Knowledge is power. Most eye doctors know what they're doing, but anyone can make a mistake. It's wise to arm yourself with information so you can discuss your options with your doctor intelligently.
As you also mentioned, it's a patient's right to find another doctor if the one they're seeing isn't satisfactory.

Frodo · #9 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMBgal

Hmmmm. Interesting information. According to the chart, my Aquify with my Proclears is 12%. So, is this chart saying that for maximum comfort, I should try one of the 1% types? And the plain old saline doesn't disinfect, right? So I would actually need something else if I were to select the non-preservative saline? I think the chart brought up more questions than it answered for me. Since my doctor gave me the Aquify, I just assumed it was the best for comfort. But perhaps the Aquify representative left more samples that the other guys? I do see on one of the charts that more staining correlates strongly with less comfort. And there are over 3,000 people in the study, so that's a pretty large sample size. Again, Hmmmmmm.

As rfriel pointed out, this "staining" actually measures damage to the cornea by contact lenses. Now, this is very minor damage, tiny scratches and scrapes that can only be seen with this special dye or "stain". However, even those tiny scrapes can be painful. Less staining means less damage and obviously we want to keep that to a minimum. So in general, when you look at the staining grid, the contact lens/solution combinations that have the green squares would be the most comfortable. Acuvue Oasys with Unisol 4 saline solution would be a good combination, for example.

lurker2010 · #10 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frodo

As rfriel pointed out, this "staining" actually measures damage to the cornea by contact lenses. Now, this is very minor damage, tiny scratches and scrapes that can only be seen with this special dye or "stain". However, even those tiny scrapes can be painful. Less staining means less damage and obviously we want to keep that to a minimum. So in general, when you look at the staining grid, the contact lens/solution combinations that have the green squares would be the most comfortable. Acuvue Oasys with Unisol 4 saline solution would be a good combination, for example.

NO GOOD Unisol saline does not disenfect lenses. I assume it was included to show a small but measureable amout of staining can occur with a "neutral" solution.

rfriel · #11 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurker2010

NO GOOD Unisol saline does not disenfect lenses. I assume it was included to show a small but measureable amout of staining can occur with a "neutral" solution.

maybe unisol is for heat disinfection

heat or UV disinfection, purilens, UV

lurker2010 · #12 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

maybe unisol is for heat disinfection

heat or UV disinfection, purilens, UV

You have a valid point. I have no problem admitting when I provide incomplete information.

However it doesn't apply to the OP. Chemical disinfection is the only FDA approved method of cleaning and disinfection for the Osays lens.

I'm not sure if heat disinfection is approved for any current lenses.

Staining grid picked the solutions based on market share. I wonder how many people use heat or purilens to disenfect lenses.

The staining grid research is funded by Alcon, the company that mfg Unisol.

HVAC · #13 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurker2010

You have a valid point. I have no problem admitting when I provide incomplete information.

However it doesn't apply to the OP. Chemical disinfection is the only FDA approved method of cleaning and disinfection for the Osays lens.

I'm not sure if heat disinfection is approved for any current lenses.

Staining grid picked the solutions based on market share. I wonder how many people use heat or purilens to disenfect lenses.

The staining grid research is funded by Alcon, the company that mfg Unisol.

The OP--which I recently learned means "Original Post"--said "I'm asking which solution you like for Acuvue Oasys - Aquify or Replenish?" That sounds like an opinion question. Frodo didn't ask "which is the best?" he/she just asked "which one do you like?"
Someone could have answered with "I like the one with the pretty blue box" and that would have answered Frodo's question just as well without necessarily having to trot out the staining grid. If you like Aquify to clean your Acuvue Oasys and you want to use the staining grid to explain why that would be okay, too.

Staingrid.com. according to the "about us" page was created by Dr. Gary Andrasko and Dr. Kelly Ryen and has a disclosure which says "Both investigators participate in a private research practice which undertake fee-for-service clinical investigations sponsored by various contact lens and solution manufacturers. Neither investigator is a paid consultant to any optical industry company."

Where does it say that it's sponsored by Alcon?

lurker2010 · #14 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

The OP--which I recently learned means "Original Post"--said "I'm asking which solution you like for Acuvue Oasys - Aquify or Replenish?" That sounds like an opinion question. Frodo didn't ask "which is the best?" he/she just asked "which one do you like?"
Someone could have answered with "I like the one with the pretty blue box" and that would have answered Frodo's question just as well without necessarily having to trot out the staining grid. If you like Aquify to clean your Acuvue Oasys and you want to use the staining grid to explain why that would be okay, too.

Staingrid.com. according to the "about us" page was created by Dr. Gary Andrasko and Dr. Kelly Ryen and has a disclosure which says "Both investigators participate in a private research practice which undertake fee-for-service clinical investigations sponsored by various contact lens and solution manufacturers. Neither investigator is a paid consultant to any optical industry company."

Where does it say that it's sponsored by Alcon?

From the FAQ

Quote:

Is the Staining Grid research supported by the contact lens industry?Yes, the staining grid research is supported by a grant from Alcon Research, Ltd. In addition, CooperVision has provide support for this project. This website is not funded by industry support.

My point is Unisol (saline) doesn't disenfect lenses and (by itself) doesn't replace Aquify or Replenish.

rfriel · #15 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 11:11 AM

the wetting angle was supposed to be <10degrees ex-vitro after 14 hours of wear, but alas, when i tried it, my lens felt sticky and not smooth, contrary to low wetting angle. google wetting angle for replenish and you see the clinical trials. aquify had a wetting angle 98degrees ex-vitro after 10hours wear time and 112degrees for clear care, i use aquify some nights for cleaning/disinfection and clear care other nights. on both oasys and biofinity lens. i really cant tell the difference in the two lens, but i can tell a difference in the smoothness after using aquify, the wetting angle truely is less than clear care. also, i think aquify cleans lipids/proteins/deposits better than clear care, but the staining grid shows an increase for aquify so i dont use it all the time just sometimes when i want a good cleaning of deposits on the lens. allergies play a big role, sometimes one lens or the other bothers me, but its really not due to specific lens but maybe the allergies interacting with the specific material. since i wear one multifocal oasys and one regular biofinity, near and far are balanced out for presbyopia, the wetting angle for biofinity <30degress which is awesome, i cant wait until biofinity multifocal's are available, then i'll use them as well as oasys, test both out and see which is better.

HVAC · #16 (**permalink**) 02-25-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurker2010

From the FAQ

My point is Unisol (saline) doesn't disenfect lenses and (by itself) doesn't replace Aquify or Replenish.

Thanks for pointing that out, Lurker2010. It does quite clearly say that "the staining grid research is supported by a grant from Alcon Research, Ltd" but then goes on to say that "this website is not funded by industry support." Does that contradict the first statement I quoted?

lurker2010 · #17 (**permalink**) 02-26-2010, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

Thanks for pointing that out, Lurker2010. It does quite clearly say that "the staining grid research is supported by a grant from Alcon Research, Ltd" but then goes on to say that "this website is not funded by industry support." Does that contradict the first statement I quoted?

You asked me

Quote:

Where does it say that it's sponsored by Alcon?

I tried to be polite. The quote you provided really didn't contradict my earlier post. I gave you the benefit of the doubt once. Next time I'll assume you deliberately used a quote inappropriately instead of an honest mistake.

Quote:

The staining grid research is funded by Alcon, the company that mfg Unisol.

The website is playing a word game. Does it really matter if the industry support is going to finance the research or the website.

RacerX · #18 (**permalink**) 02-26-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurker2010

You asked me

I tried to be polite. The quote you provided really didn't contradict my earlier post. I gave you the benefit of the doubt once. Next time I'll assume you deliberately used a quote inappropriately instead of an honest mistake.

The website is playing a word game. Does it really matter if the industry support is going to finance the research or the website.

If I may make an observation, I think HVAC was saying that the staining grid website seems to contradict itself, not you. First the site says it's supported by Alcon, then it says it's "not funded by industry support." Isn't that the same thing?

Frodo · #19 (**permalink**) 03-18-2010, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacerX

If I may make an observation, I think HVAC was saying that the staining grid website seems to contradict itself, not you. First the site says it's supported by Alcon, then it says it's "not funded by industry support." Isn't that the same thing?

Let me add my agreement with RacerX. It seems pretty clear to me that HVAC was (and probably is still) kind of confused because the website first says it is sponsored by Alcon, then it says it's not sponsored by anybody if that's what they mean by "not funded."
I guess I'm not real clear myself.

The information you provided, Lurker, seems perfectly clear to me.