107: Blink, blink! More Moisture with Alcon Contact Lens!

Till today, I actually still feel quite privileged to be one of the few kids that have early access to computer knowledge. However, indirectly, that could also be the major cause to my current vision condition; nearsightedness & astigmatism.

Nearsightedness (medically termed as myopia) - a vision condition where a person can see things up close clearly but as the object gets further, the vision of the object gets more and more blurry. It is actually a very common condition that almost everyone might have at a certain point of their life. I got mine when I was in Primary 3.

My myopia power keep increasing bit by bit every time I visit the optician. It was not something I worry about as a kid because it actually felt quite normal to me. When I went to high school, I actually requested to purchase contact lenses from my mother. It felt more and more tedious having to keep my sliding spectacle in place due to the sweats appearing between my skin and spectacle during sport activities. 

I started with month disposable contact lenses as the cost of maintenance was more affordable rather than engaging in a new pair of spectacles every year averagely. It was not until when I was in Secondary 3 that the price to pay for the maintenance of my vision condition got hefty.

I was diagnosed with astigmatism! *horror* Sounds like a deadly sickness but in actual fact, is not. Just deadly to the pocket. Haha. Astigmatism is not common among those with vision condition but has been increasing common. Majority does not know what is astigmatism so here's a little introduction. Astigmatism is a vision condition where lights fail to focus on one point of your retina but instead creating multi focal point causing you to see an several light shadow-like of an object  all spread around the main object.

Anyway, sorry to bore you with all these facts. Thought I should share something which will get your facts straight and give you a clear idea about all these vision conditions. :)

Recently, I stumble across some information regarding the launching of a contact lens made with new technology which is said to keep your eyes moist with every blink! This then allows wearing  contact lenses  for a longer period of time! It was the launch of Alcon's DAILIES Aquacomfort Plus Brand of Contact Lenses with Introduction of Toric Lenses! So much joy and hope for me!

Previously, there are not many contact lenses to choices to choose from, much less if you have astigmatism. My problem with contact lenses is that I have very very very very dry eyes. Got to say it many times to focus on this problem. Although wearing contact lenses made my life much easier, it also made my eyes suffer quite a bit or quite a lot, my eyes would actually tell you. Yup, my eyes feel really dry and agitated, then vision gets a little blurry due to the dry contact lenses and most of the times my eyes would start to water. There was nothing much I can do about it but dripping eye drops to try keep it moisturized or just take the contact lenses off. 

Since I started to work from home, I have opt to put on spectacles rather than contact lenses due to my eye dryness problem. I now purchase daily disposable lenses instead of the monthly disposable because they are actually more moisturizing and does not dry up as quickly as the latter. Also in the long run, it is more affordable as I don't put them on everyday anymore. :)

The new contact lenses by Alcon; DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Toric contact lenses are specially made for patients with astigmatism vision condition. What is it that made Toric contact lenses different from the usual contact lenses you ask? Toric Contact Lenses are shaped in a particular way to look like a doughnut in comparison to the normal contact lenses that have a spherical surface like a slice of the side of the beach ball. 

Alcon DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Toric contact lenses are made with the Precision Curve Lense Design that even with astigmatism, we are able to enjoy consistent crisp, clear vision. The action of natural blinking of the lower and upper eyelids keeps the lens balanced to prevent blurriness. Now I know why sometimes I experience blurriness even during the early stage of having my contact lenses on.

The new technology which they have embedded into creating this new contact lenses is the blink-activated moisture technology The new technology which perked my interested! Moisture in the eyes are very important to stay comfortable or else it will be a great distraction. Amazingly, a whole lot of moisture is stored in the contact lens itself and moisture is being released at every blink! The moisture does not only last a few blink but more than you can imagine! It is said that we blink about 14,000 times a day and every time we blink, moisture are released from the contact lens to bring refreshing comfort to the eyes.

This new contact lenses contains a unique moisturizing molecule which is extra moist. When I touch the contact lens, I could actually feel the moisturizing molecules! It feels almost like oily as it glides easily but they are actually just moisture molecules. I have to admit I was sold even before I tried the contact lenses on my eyes.

During the Q&A session of the event, some testimonials were also shared with us. It was mentioned that a girl who have a very active outdoor lifestyle actually felt comfortable with the contact lenses on for about 18 hours! To be honest, I was really impressed and am excited to try it for myself!

I was given a 2 months worth of Alcon DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Toric contact lenses for trial and I brought them along with me during my Bangkok trip as I know it would be best time to test it. Please bare in mind as mentioned, I have eyes which dries easily as compare to the majority.

Here is what I like about it;

- I like how at first touch, the contact lens feel very moist and comfortable sitting on the eye.

- blinking are sometimes caused by the dryness of the eyes and with this, I actually don't feel my eyes getting dry so easily.

- My astigmatism has recently increased and I get agitated sometimes when my vision is still blurry when I first put on the contact lenses. To my surprise, my vision was pretty clear when I put on Alcon's contact lenses. It could be due to the Precision Curve Lens Design mentioned earlier.

Here are the downsides;

- My eyes still feel dry at the end of the day after approximately 10 hours of wearing them but the moisture lasted longer compared to other contact lenses.

- There was twice when I worn them exceeding 12 hours and I find the contact lenses very very difficult to remove. The contact lenses were very thin and sticks quite strongly to my eyes. It took me about a minute before I can remove it. My eyes were red from this and it actually made me worried. The second time this happened, I moist my eyes with eye drops before removing it. It was easier but still with a little difficulty. It gives me an impression that if I accidentally went to sleep without removing them, I would be in deep deep trouble when I wake up. Hence, now I only wear them for approximately 8 - 10 hours due to my dryness condition.

Honestly, I might consider to switch to this brand  in the future.

During the event, I was tossed with a bunch of leaflets and brochures on Alcon products and I am glad I went through them! One of the brochure mentioned about a product called Systane and that was how I knew that I can actually do something about my Dry Eyes condition! There are currently no way to cure it but definitely ways to make my dry eyes more comfortable. :)

The Alcon DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Toric contact lenses are selling at a recommended price of RM130 per box. For more info about Alcon DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Toric contact lenses you can visit their website at http://www.alcon.com or pay a visit to optical shops that carry this brand.