Hi

I Know my prescription - -2, -2 - but can anyone tell where a good place to buy lenses is, in bangkok? Is it possible to buy them without having an eye test? What sort of prices am I looking at?

Many thanks

neph

Try the eye lab. There is one at Central World Centre. They are a fairly large company in Thailand and there prices are reasonable. As long as you know your Rx you don't need another one. A friend of mine just bought some and the price was cheap compared to other countries

Great, thanks for that, I'll go and see them.

chjeers

nephilmi

Washington Optical,

Ground Floor of Amarin Plaza, near the back

Ratprasong Intersection (Erawan Shrine Corner)

See Wichai, he speaks English. Open Saturdays, but closed Mondays.

Hi

I Know my prescription - -2, -2 - but can anyone tell where a good place to buy lenses is, in bangkok? Is it possible to buy them without having an eye test? What sort of prices am I looking at?

Many thanks

neph

In the UK I used Focus Dailies One-Day Contact Lenses. As I understand it, I was prescribed lenses according to the required strength, BC (base curve), and DIA (diameter). The lenses were supremely comfortable. They cost about 70 baht per day, plus the cost of regular checkups and eye tests. 10 out of 10 for comfort.

Working from a tighter budget here in Thailand, I have tried Johnson & Johnson Surevue (Etafilcon A) Contact Lenses for Daily Wear. They were very cheap - I'm not sure how much, maybe 300 baht for one month. I have bought these from three different "dispensing opticians" (i.e. shops) and was simply asked for the required strength. There was no option regarding BC or DIA. I'd rank them about 3 or 4 out of 10 for comfort.

Before buying your lenses, I'd make sure you are getting the correct full prescription for your eyes. I wasn't so clued up the last time I bought contacts, but if I buy contacts again I will insist on the right ones or none at all.

O.D. right eye

O.S. left eye

Base curve (BC) Inside curve of your contact lens (e.g., 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, etc.)

Diameter (Diam) Size of your contact lens (e.g., 13.8, 14.0, 14.2, etc.)

Power (Pow) Strength of your contact lens (e.g., -1.00, -1.25, +1.50, +3.00, etc.)

Cylinder (Cyl) Strength of your astigmatism (e.g., -0.75, -1.00, -1.25, etc.)

Axis Orientation of your astigmatism (e.g., 170, 160, 090, etc.)

Extract from:

http://www.bausch.com/us/vision/products/r...criptionrgp.jsp

Brian I think that you should go and have your eyes examined properly for the contact lenses. As I told you the eye lab has a person that does do examinations and take the list of requirements with you so that they can give you the proper lenses. I suspect you discomfort is because they just aren't the right size. I would also be concerned that they could do damage. You should be able to get the Rx from your doctor that examined your eyes before you came here and then go from there. I have two friends that deal with eyeglasses and contacts if that would help you. I know that this is important because I just had new contacts sent to me from Canada. I emailed them and asked for a trial pair and they sent them and they were perfect for my new Rx, but it was because he has measured my eyes and knew what to send. I asked him if he could send a trial pair for another friend of mine but he wouldn't because he said there are too many variants without seeing the person. Any good luck and if I can help I will.

Brian I think that you should go and have your eyes examined properly for the contact lenses. As I told you the eye lab has a person that does do examinations and take the list of requirements with you so that they can give you the proper lenses. I suspect you discomfort is because they just aren't the right size. I would also be concerned that they could do damage. You should be able to get the Rx from your doctor that examined your eyes before you came here and then go from there. I have two friends that deal with eyeglasses and contacts if that would help you. I know that this is important because I just had new contacts sent to me from Canada. I emailed them and asked for a trial pair and they sent them and they were perfect for my new Rx, but it was because he has measured my eyes and knew what to send. I asked him if he could send a trial pair for another friend of mine but he wouldn't because he said there are too many variants without seeing the person. Any good luck and if I can help I will.

Karen,

The whole point of my post was to say that buying contact lenses is not something that can be done just on the basis of lens power. The lenses must fit correctly, and the only way this can be achieved is to get a proper prescription (power, base curve, etc.) from a reputable optician.

I suspect you discomfort is because they just aren't the right size.

-- The very point of my original post.

If you read my post again I think you'll find we agree on all the main points.

To quote myself:

Before buying your lenses, I'd make sure you are getting the correct full prescription for your eyes. I wasn't so clued up the last time I bought contacts, but if I buy contacts again I will insist on the right ones or none at all.

-- and the only way to know what the right ones are is to have a prescription. Take care of your eyes.