Are Extended Wear Contacts the Same as Dailies?

HVAC · #1 (**permalink**) 01-15-2008, 12:57 PM

I read this article from a British newspaper claiming that contact lenses that are sold as "monthly" are exactly the same as the ones called "dailies."
They claim that all these lenses are exactly the same, even going so far as to claim that "all these lenses are made of the same material in exactly the same proportions - 42 per cent polymer and 58 per cent water."

The article goes on the say that "The only difference is that the daily versions have fractionally different diameters and curves."

That sounds like a lot of what the late British author Douglas Adams might call "a load of dingo's kidneys" to me.
Has anyone heard of any British newspapers being sued lately by contact lens manufacturers?
Could this actually be true?

mickey · #2 (**permalink**) 04-19-2008, 07:18 AM

Extendable wear (or continuous wear lenses) night and day by ciba vision are different to daily lenses they are made from different material contain more oxygen so that your eyes can breathe, these are worn for upto 30 days and nights continuous wear. I have just stopped wearing them after 5 years and am wearing dailies. Daily lenses compared to night and days are thinner. Im in the uk and not heard anything about that.

Coojew23 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-16-2009, 04:12 PM

I think the biggest different between daily contacts and monthly contacts is that you do not need to buy lens cleaner or cases because you throw them away each night. This also helps with the reduction of eye infections because the contacts come out brand new and do not have a chance to collect debris sitting in a case. Monthly contacts can be worn longer but you risk eye infections and the added expense of cleaners and cases.

gamblinglord · #4 (**permalink**) 09-03-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickey

Extendable wear (or continuous wear lenses) night and day by ciba vision are different to daily lenses they are made from different material contain more oxygen so that your eyes can breathe, these are worn for upto 30 days and nights continuous wear. I have just stopped wearing them after 5 years and am wearing dailies. Daily lenses compared to night and days are thinner. Im in the uk and not heard anything about that.

I think the ones that could be use continuously would be better. It would be less cost than the other one. Are there available monthly contact lenses with different colors? My friend would like to have fancy styles too.

Vita_man · #5 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coojew23

I think the biggest different between daily contacts and monthly contacts is that you do not need to buy lens cleaner or cases because you throw them away each night. This also helps with the reduction of eye infections because the contacts come out brand new and do not have a chance to collect debris sitting in a case. Monthly contacts can be worn longer but you risk eye infections and the added expense of cleaners and cases.

Very well said, Coojew. I see this is your first post. Welcome to Lens 101. That's a very good summary of the daily disposable vs extended wear contact lens comparison. Keep up the good work and post some more.

HVAC · #6 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 12:14 PM

Thank you everyone for logging on and taking the time to answer my question. Lens 101 is a great source of information.

kyles414 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coojew23

I think the biggest different between daily contacts and monthly contacts is that you do not need to buy lens cleaner or cases because you throw them away each night. This also helps with the reduction of eye infections because the contacts come out brand new and do not have a chance to collect debris sitting in a case. Monthly contacts can be worn longer but you risk eye infections and the added expense of cleaners and cases.

I think the daily contacts are more expensive than the monthly one. However, it would be safer than the latter. Would it be expensive to buy lens cleaner and case? Is it consider as a regular contact lens?

BoSoxFan · #8 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyles414

Would it be expensive to buy lens cleaner and case? Is it consider as a regular contact lens?

I'm not sure how to answer your last question, so I'll go ahead and answer the other one.

Contact lens cleaners and cases are not expensive. Sometimes your eye doctor will give you a case and a free sample of cleaner when you get your first contact lenses. After that you can get a bottle of lens cleaner for about ten dollars and I saw a site where you could get a contact lens case for about a buck and a half, or a set of twelve for $7.95.

HVAC · #9 (**permalink**) 09-21-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoSoxFan

Contact lens cleaners and cases are not expensive. Sometimes your eye doctor will give you a case and a free sample of cleaner when you get your first contact lenses. After that you can get a bottle of lens cleaner for about ten dollars and I saw a site where you could get a contact lens case for about a buck and a half, or a set of twelve for $7.95.

Thanks for that information, BoSoxFan. You're right in that cleaners and cases are not very expensive at all.

Vita_man · #10 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

I read this article from a British newspaper claiming that contact lenses that are sold as "monthly" are exactly the same as the ones called "dailies."
They claim that all these lenses are exactly the same, even going so far as to claim that "all these lenses are made of the same material in exactly the same proportions - 42 per cent polymer and 58 per cent water."

The article goes on the say that "The only difference is that the daily versions have fractionally different diameters and curves."

That sounds like a lot of what the late British author Douglas Adams might call "a load of dingo's kidneys" to me.
Has anyone heard of any British newspapers being sued lately by contact lens manufacturers?
Could this actually be true?

It took me about two minutes to refute this. Just choosing a daily disposable lens at random, I found out that 1-Day Acuvue contacts are 58% H2O and 42% Polymer (etafilcon A in this case.) So far the Brits are correct with the proportions.

Now let's look at a monthly disposable contact lens, Purevision. The recipe for one of these lenses is 36% H2O and 64% Polymer (balafilcon A).

Well, so much for "all contact lenses being the same." You could go to Lens.com and see these proportions for yourself.

HVAC · #11 (**permalink**) 12-31-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vita_man

It took me about two minutes to refute this. Just choosing a daily disposable lens at random, I found out that 1-Day Acuvue contacts are 58% H2O and 42% Polymer (etafilcon A in this case.) So far the Brits are correct with the proportions.

Now let's look at a monthly disposable contact lens, Purevision. The recipe for one of these lenses is 36% H2O and 64% Polymer (balafilcon A).

Well, so much for "all contact lenses being the same." You could go to Lens.com and see these proportions for yourself.

Thank you Vita-Man. I've seen Lens.com. It's a very informative site.

Knotlob · #12 (**permalink**) 12-31-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

Thank you Vita-Man. I've seen Lens.com. It's a very informative site.

Hi HVAC

I don't know if this was the same article, but I posted an article here from the Daily Mail On-line (circa 2005). This particular article did NOT say that all contact lenses are the same AND it did not refer specifically to Extended Wear. Extended Wear lenses usually use a silicone hydrogel lens material with high oxygen permeability. Most, if not all, of the Daily Disposable lenses use a lower oxygen permeability material - they are already expensive enough!

http://www.lens101.com/1-day-acuvue/78213-re-using-them.html

post #32 onwards

In fact it mentioned two manufacturers only.

Eyecaramba tried to rubbish this article, but I posted a counter.

In fact it is TRUE that two manufacturers use(d) the same material in one of their Daily Lenses as they do in one of their Two Weekly or Monthly lenses. The two manufacturers were Bausch & Lomb (hilafilcon B) used in Daily Soflens and their Soflens 59 Monthly lens and the other manufacturer was Johnson & Johnson, whom the article quotes 'The company (J&J) admitted to the Daily Mail that there is no medical reason why the daily lenses could not be reused and worn as long as the other brands (1-2 weekly and Monthly Disposables), provided they were disinfected in the same way'. (Information inside the brackets added by me to clarify the statement).

As I said in the article, if there was not an element of truth in this article, the Daily Mail On-Line would have been dragged kicking & screaming through the courts. Although I don't live in the UK, I do follow the UK News closely and I think I would have heard about that, especially with the amount of contact lens searches I have done recently on the Internet.

Given the controversy about O2 and Air Optix, the frequent re-branding of contact lenses in parts of Europe and even a recent post a few days ago, on this forum about lower manufacturers recommended wear times for disposable lenses in developed countries, than for example in China, I think this article is substantially truthful (provided you read it carefully and take only what the article actually says).

knotlob

Vita_man · #13 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Hi HVAC

I don't know if this was the same article, but I posted an article here from the Daily Mail On-line (circa 2005). This particular article did NOT say that all contact lenses are the same AND it did not refer specifically to Extended Wear. Extended Wear lenses usually use a silicone hydrogel lens material with high oxygen permeability. Most, if not all, of the Daily Disposable lenses use a lower oxygen permeability material - they are already expensive enough!

http://www.lens101.com/1-day-acuvue/78213-re-using-them.html

post #32 onwards

In fact it mentioned two manufacturers only.

Eyecaramba tried to rubbish this article, but I posted a counter.

In fact it is TRUE that two manufacturers use(d) the same material in one of their Daily Lenses as they do in one of their Two Weekly or Monthly lenses. The two manufacturers were Bausch & Lomb (hilafilcon B) used in Daily Soflens and their Soflens 59 Monthly lens and the other manufacturer was Johnson & Johnson, whom the article quotes 'The company (J&J) admitted to the Daily Mail that there is no medical reason why the daily lenses could not be reused and worn as long as the other brands (1-2 weekly and Monthly Disposables), provided they were disinfected in the same way'. (Information inside the brackets added by me to clarify the statement).

As I said in the article, if there was not an element of truth in this article, the Daily Mail On-Line would have been dragged kicking & screaming through the courts. Although I don't live in the UK, I do follow the UK News closely and I think I would have heard about that, especially with the amount of contact lens searches I have done recently on the Internet.

Given the controversy about O2 and Air Optix, the frequent re-branding of contact lenses in parts of Europe and even a recent post a few days ago, on this forum about lower manufacturers recommended wear times for disposable lenses in developed countries, than for example in China, I think this article is substantially truthful (provided you read it carefully and take only what the article actually says).

knotlob

That's some thread if there were 31 posts that came before the part that is relevant to this one.

So are you saying that daily contact lenses are identical to monthlies, and that people can safely wear, say, 1-Day Acuvue contact lenses for a month with no ill effects?

Knotlob · #14 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vita_man

That's some thread if there were 31 posts that came before the part that is relevant to this one.

So are you saying that daily contact lenses are identical to monthlies, and that people can safely wear, say, 1-Day Acuvue contact lenses for a month with no ill effects?

No, I did not say that. There is nothing generic in what either I said, nor the article by the Daily Mail on-line.

They mentioned only 2 manufacturers and only for one specific lens, I think.

I did a personal test with a Bausch & Lomb Daily SofLens and was able to wear that several weeks, before boredom set in and I discarded them. (I sterilised them with 2 step peroxide each night and checked for deposits, etc). In that case the Daily lens was made of the same lens material as the Bausch & Lomb Soflens 59 Monthly lens (Hilafilcon B). However, I used to wear Yearly Lenses and now on Biofinity Monthly, transitioning onto Menicon RGP lenses. I don't normally wear Daily lenses (only in an emergerncy) and if I did, I don't think I would be wearing them for more than a day before I binned them.

The evidence suggests that there are SOME Daily lenses, which can be worn for a month, but certainly not all. However, people should follow their doctor's advice unless they hear to the contrary from a reputable source.

knotlob

HVAC · #15 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

No, I did not say that. There is nothing generic in what either I said, nor the article by the Daily Mail on-line.

They mentioned only 2 manufacturers and only for one specific lens, I think.

I did a personal test with a Bausch & Lomb Daily SofLens and was able to wear that several weeks, before boredom set in and I discarded them. (I sterilised them with 2 step peroxide each night and checked for deposits, etc). In that case the Daily lens was made of the same lens material as the Bausch & Lomb Soflens 59 Monthly lens (Hilafilcon B). However, I used to wear Yearly Lenses and now on Biofinity Monthly, transitioning onto Menicon RGP lenses. I don't normally wear Daily lenses (only in an emergerncy) and if I did, I don't think I would be wearing them for more than a day before I binned them.

The evidence suggests that there are SOME Daily lenses, which can be worn for a month, but certainly not all. However, people should follow their doctor's advice unless they hear to the contrary from a reputable source.

knotlob

Knotlob,

I have read many of your posts and even responded to some of them. I find your posts to be clear, intelligent and persuasive.

That's why I'm amazed to read that your have worn "Bausch & Lomb Daily SofLens" for not just two days, but "several weeks." I hope you didn't damage your eyes. Have you seen an eye doctor since you did this little experiment? Does he or she know about your wearing schedule?

I worry so much about the information contained in Lens 101. If someone damages their eyes because of something they read here, I would feel terrible, even if I wasn't directly impossible. Please be careful about the things you post and of course, more importantly, be careful how you wear your contact lenses.

Knotlob · #16 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

Knotlob,

I have read many of your posts and even responded to some of them. I find your posts to be clear, intelligent and persuasive.

That's why I'm amazed to read that your have worn "Bausch & Lomb Daily SofLens" for not just two days, but "several weeks." I hope you didn't damage your eyes. Have you seen an eye doctor since you did this little experiment? Does he or she know about your wearing schedule?

I worry so much about the information contained in Lens 101. If someone damages their eyes because of something they read here, I would feel terrible, even if I wasn't directly impossible. Please be careful about the things you post and of course, more importantly, be careful how you wear your contact lenses.

Hello HVAC

Yes, I have seen an eye doctor several times and opticians also, for new contact lenses (Biofinity and recently RGP lenses). In fact I was at the optician again today for a follow up visit. I also had a check by a hospital eye doctor, but that was unrelated to eye sight.

I didn't do this trial without some extensive and detailed research and only proceeded when I was happy on any potential risks.

I have justified this in some detail in response to questions previously posted on this. Basically, I didn't over wear the lenses in terms of hours/day so was not risking neovascularisation, etc. This trial was a completely different animal.

I use a 2 step peroxide cleaning regime. This is in my view much safer than Multi Purpose Disinfectant or Single Step Peroxide disinfectant systems.

I have 35 years experience wearing contact lenses (mainly yearly) so I think I will recognise very quickly if something is wrong.

If you check the lens material for the Bausch & Lomb SofLens Daily you will see it is Hilafilcon B. Now check the lens material for the Bausch & Lomb Soflens 59 (Monthly Disposable) and guess what - it is also Hilafilcon B.

I checked religiously for lens damage and deposit build up. These were insignificant. There was no increase in discomfort.

I posted before and will post again - I don't recommend that any readers of Forum 101 do this, or think it is an acceptable practice. I don't wear Dailies but if I did, I would not be doing following this practice. I wanted to discover more about the characteristics of these lenses in practice - professional curiosity - I'm an engineer by training.

Obviously, anybody including the intellectually challenged can read posts on Lens 101 forum without even logging on. I have no idea who are reading the post. But there are countless examples outside this forum where people have the opportunity to self harm deliberately or unintentionally. e.g. you can buy rat poison or weed killer in a garden centre, you used to be able in Europe to buy Pink Paraffin (kerosene) until they said children may drink it - though it is difficult to imagine paraffin being pleasant to drink!! The store has little or no control over the actual end use of the product (e.g. possible human consumption).

I sometimes do things that the opticians wouldn't initially approve of, but they accept my justification and my academic background skills. e.g. I make up my own hydrogen peroxide solutions, but again I don't recommend anyone else follows my example unless they are sufficiently trained and have access to the correct materials.

knotlob

BoSoxFan · #17 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

If you check the lens material for the Bausch & Lomb SofLens Daily you will see it is Hilafilcon B. Now check the lens material for the Bausch & Lomb Soflens 59 (Monthly Disposable) and guess what - it is also Hilafilcon B.

knotlob

I checked Lens.com and you're right, mostly. Soflens Daily and Soflens 59 are both made of 59% water and 41% polymer, but Lens.com says the polymer is hilafilcon A, not B. I don't know if that makes a huge difference, but in my opinion it's close enough. It may have just been a typo on the part of either lens.com or yourself.
Also, lens.com lists SofLens 59 as 1-2 week lenses rather than monthly.

So if these two lenses are so similar, why would one be a daily disposable contact lens while the other was a lens that could be worn for up to two weeks?

Knotlob · #18 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoSoxFan

I checked Lens.com and you're right, mostly. Soflens Daily and Soflens 59 are both made of 59% water and 41% polymer, but Lens.com says the polymer is hilafilcon A, not B. I don't know if that makes a huge difference, but in my opinion it's close enough. It may have just been a typo on the part of either lens.com or yourself.
Also, lens.com lists SofLens 59 as 1-2 week lenses rather than monthly.

So if these two lenses are so similar, why would one be a daily disposable contact lens while the other was a lens that could be worn for up to two weeks?

Lens.com is a typo. All the other websites I checked & I think Bausch & Lomb state Hilafilcon B.

In the UK, the Soflens 59 is a Monthly lens (www.lensbase.co.uk). Sometimes it is different in the US (as it appears to be in this case).

There was a thread previously where the poster showed some lenses were rated for shorter number of days wear in developed countries than in developing countries (specifically China), so this practice is not unknown, even if it is questionable.

knotlob

HVAC · #19 (**permalink**) 02-25-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Lens.com is a typo. All the other websites I checked & I think Bausch & Lomb state Hilafilcon B.

In the UK, the Soflens 59 is a Monthly lens (www.lensbase.co.uk). Sometimes it is different in the US (as it appears to be in this case).

There was a thread previously where the poster showed some lenses were rated for shorter number of days wear in developed countries than in developing countries (specifically China), so this practice is not unknown, even if it is questionable.

knotlob

So are you saying that it's a matter of what country you buy the contact lenses in? SofLens 59 and SofLens Daily Disposable have different wear times in the United States but the same wear time elsewhere? They must not call the latter ones "Daily Disposable" if they can last for up to two weeks like SofLens 59.

Knotlob · #20 (**permalink**) 02-25-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVAC

So are you saying that it's a matter of what country you buy the contact lenses in? SofLens 59 and SofLens Daily Disposable have different wear times in the United States but the same wear time elsewhere? They must not call the latter ones "Daily Disposable" if they can last for up to two weeks like SofLens 59.

No, I think the SofLens Daily is always a daily lens (per the manufacturer's literature), but sometimes a Monthly lens may be rated as a 2 weekly lens in another geographical location. This practice does not seem to be limited to Bausch & Lomb, however.

You may of course do your own research and conclude that based on the lens material, base curve, diameter and centre thickness, the B&L SofLens Daily is in fact the same or a very similar lens to the SofLens59 marketed as a Monthly lens, but the manufacturer will not confirm that I guess.

knotlob

hotpepperking · #21 (**permalink**) 02-26-2010, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

No, I think the SofLens Daily is always a daily lens (per the manufacturer's literature), but sometimes a Monthly lens may be rated as a 2 weekly lens in another geographical location. This practice does not seem to be limited to Bausch & Lomb, however.

You may of course do your own research and conclude that based on the lens material, base curve, diameter and centre thickness, the B&L SofLens Daily is in fact the same or a very similar lens to the SofLens59 marketed as a Monthly lens, but the manufacturer will not confirm that I guess.

knotlob

Aw, I'm to lazy to do my own research. I'll just reply on my comrades at Lens 101 to sort it out for me.

hotpepperking · #22 (**permalink**) 02-26-2010, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

No, I think the SofLens Daily is always a daily lens (per the manufacturer's literature), but sometimes a Monthly lens may be rated as a 2 weekly lens in another geographical location. This practice does not seem to be limited to Bausch & Lomb, however.

You may of course do your own research and conclude that based on the lens material, base curve, diameter and centre thickness, the B&L SofLens Daily is in fact the same or a very similar lens to the SofLens59 marketed as a Monthly lens, but the manufacturer will not confirm that I guess.

knotlob

Aw, I'm to lazy to do my own research. I'll just rely on my comrades at Lens 101 to sort it out for me.