SeeQuence By Bausch & Lomb: No More Purple Haze For Me!
Written: Nov 08 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Comfortable, inexpensive, disposable, easy to wear.
Cons: No “visual tint” which makes it a little hard to find when you drop them.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a lens that you can wear for an extended period of time without the nasty side effects, check out Bausch & Lomb SeeQuence.
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: Bausch & Lomb Seequence Disposable Contact Lenses |
Contact lenses are a part of my life. Without them I am pretty much non-functional. My vision is so bad that if I am sitting ten feet from the television, I can’t see the channel line up, description of what I am watching or the time on the cable box. My current prescription is -2.00 in both eyes, which allows me the ability to purchase one box of lenses instead of a separate box for each eye. Because of this I can take a little bit of freedom when ordering contact lenses and try out all the different products that are available.
It was by pure accident that I got the chance to sample the Bausch & Lomb SeeQuence lenses, the company that I ordered from accidentally sent me the wrong box on my most recent order and when I called them they asked me if I was interested in trying them out rather than returning them. This was a no brainer since they said they would send me my original order and let me keep the SeeQuence lenses, no additional fees, no hassle of returning the wrong box of lenses and three free pairs of lenses. Tell me, would you pass that deal up?
Bausch & Lomb SeeQuence
Spin Cast Technology
These lenses are manufactured using a spin casting process rather than using a standard lathe method. But Freak, what does that mean?. Well, I’m glad you asked. The spin casting technique takes a liquid monomer [a simple molecule that combines with others of it kind to create a polymer] and injects it into a mold. From there the mold is rotated so the liquid is forced into position and the multitude of different strengths, base curves and diameters is then determined by the speed and adjustment of the mold itself. The lathe method takes a clear, sterile plastic disc and trims it to the desired size, base curve and diameter using a diamond edged blade. The lathe method allows for a faster production of the lenses but the spin cast process yields a higher quality finished product. This is why companies that use this type of production process or storefronts that sell them always try to work that key term into the marketing process.
Packaging
The SeeQuence lenses come packaged six to a carton, each in their own individual disposable container. Each of the containers are labeled with the prescription information clearly marked on the foil peel back lids. This is great if you are traveling and need to pick up an emergency lens or two. The containers themselves are very sturdy and are basically the same molded plastic units as the Optima FW series. As long as the foil is intact, your lenses are considered sterile – a real plus for when you are traveling or on the road. There is a moderate amount of sterile saline solution inside each of the units so you never have to worry about the lenses drying out – providing that the unit is still sealed. These have an average shelf life of two to three years but don’t be concerned if you receive them with a smaller life span. The box I received is considered wearable until June of 2005.
Handling
If you wear contact lenses you know the routine of trying to get the slippery little buggers in the right way the first time. For those that don’t wear them here is a condensed version of contact lens insertion. Wash your hands! Remove the lens from your container and place on the tip of your finger. Gentle tap the lens to your eye and pray to what ever god you worship that it doesn’t make a break for it. Sometimes your lens may be reversed – this is common amongst the extended wear more than the daily wear due to the thickness. Putting the SeeQuence lenses in was a breeze. So far I haven’t had one of them reversed or pop out shortly after I put it in.
Cleaning
I use an enzyme pill once or twice a week to keep calcium deposits to a minimum. Even though these are disposable contacts, you still need to clean them and take care of them. I use the Bausch & Lomb ReNu system for overnight storage and for rinsing the lenses and the Bausch & Lomb enzyme tablets for disinfecting treatments. The SeeQuence brand cleaned up nicely and had no pitting or deposits before the enzyme treatment but I wasn’t going to take any chances. There is nothing worse than that scratching feeling that irritates your eyes when you have a small build up and once it starts its pretty much impossible to get rid of. This is one of the main reasons why I chose to go with the disposable lenses over regular standard wear contacts.
Cost
The cost of the SeeQuence brand is about three dollar less than the Optima FW lenses. Considering the above listed advantages of these over my current brand, it looks like I may have found a new lens or at the very least a very viable option if the Optima FW brand is out of stock. As I said earlier, I have the same prescription for both eyes so I can get away with buying one box at a time rather than having to purchase two boxes. Some sites offer you a discount if you purchase four or more boxes but with my luck I would end up tucking them away in a safe place and then forgetting where I put them.
SeeQuence Verses Optima FW
My usual brand of lenses, the Bausch & Lomb Optima FW, are comfortable to wear, last a bit longer than the suggested two week time frame and accumulate calcium deposits slower than most other lenses. For under $20.00 a box for six lenses I was completely spoiled and assumed that no other contact lens would ever come close to giving me nearly perfect vision. The SeeQuence lenses gave the Optima FW’s a real run for their money. I try my hardest to not sleep with my lenses in but there are some times when I just can’t muster the energy to make it to the bathroom to do the ritual of cleaning and sanitizing.
With the SeeQuence brand I didn’t get the 24 hour “haze” that I get with the Optima lenses. For those that don’t wear contacts – this haze is a sort of fog that comes from over-wearing the contacts without taking them out after 12 – 14 hours. If this happens at night it makes for dangerous driving – especially when your eyes come in contact with lights. It gives the light [street light, traffic signal, headlights] a sort of “starburst” effect. If you are in a high traffic area this can make it a very scary situation. After wearing the SeeQuence lenses for close to 24 hours [and after a three hour nap] I had to make a quick trip to the store and decided to see if I would have a haze while driving. Before you get all flustered, I took my glasses with me as well as a clean contact case with fresh solution in case I needed to pull over and remove the lenses. Much to my surprise, these lenses didn’t give off any haze at all. I wouldn’t push the issue and try to wear these for days on end because you never know when the build up might start.
My Two Cents
If you’ve worn contact lenses for a while and feel comfortable ordering online you can shop around to get the best deal on your lenses. Make sure that you have your prescription in front of you when you order because some sites offer some brands in a limited range of base curves or diameters – something that could effect your vision. Since I have an off the wall combination of and 8.7 base curve with a 14.4 diameter I have to make sure that both of those jive with what the site offers. If you have any questions please contact your eye care provider. If you get the slightest bit of attitude about ordering contact lenses online you might think about finding a new optometrist.
The Bottom Line
As I said before, I thought that the Optima FW brand was the only one for me, that is until the free box of SeeQuence lenses fell in my lap. I’m still not completely sure which one I’ll stick with in the future but I have to say that the SeeQuence gets major points for the “no haze” feature. I thoroughly enjoyed taking out my lenses and not having my eyeballs feel like the Sahara desert as well.
If you are looking for a new brand of contact lenses that will allow you to sneak in a nap then SeeQuence is a brand that I highly recommend. If you are an extended lens wearer these will help keep fatigue to a minimum as well as almost eliminating the need for eye drops or rewetting solutions. Providing that you care for them and clean them on a regular basis you can expect to get a very solid two to three weeks of use from them before you notice a breakdown. If you only wear them occasionally I suggest that you store them in a multi purpose solution such as ReNu [or a generic store brand] over a saline solution. This will keep your lenses in pristine condition and kill off any bacteria that may have come in contact with them from your fingers or through handling prior to storage.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.