Contact Lenses - places to purchase and ratings

[ItsThatGuy]

Our search function turned up little of use.

I am looking for some contact lenses for costuming. I thought it would be helpful for everyone to start a new thread -- listing all the recent websites and your reviews/ratings on their products, service and price.

Please post away.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

For example there is this place: http://www.9mmsfx.com/lenses.html

But I'd like to know if any of you have ordered from them and your opinions on it.

 

[bleyd]

wild eyes is the most popular and one if not the cheapest. Wal marts that have eye centers should have them. I've had my Darth Maul lenses for quite some time and they have held up VERY well.
I've never ordered from the other site but they DO look very good. Very high end stuff and not a bad price for what you get. IMHO

 

[Ramiel]

9mmfx is the only one I know... But I've never purchased from them, I've only heard good things... But I repeat, I have NO direct experience with them

 

[ItsThatGuy]

wild eyes is the most popular and one if not the cheapest. Wal marts that have eye centers should have them. I've had my Darth Maul lenses for quite some time and they have held up VERY well.

But would I need a prescription for them? I have almost perfect vision.

 

[Dougie Fett]

http://www.morphstore.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=26

 

[Aquaman]

it is against the law now to sell contacts without a doc perscription. even if ur eyes are perfect they have to measure u. Most of the speciality lenses r made by one manufacturer and then sold by many. as long as u keep them clean and handle correctly, i have had no problems.

 

[NoTsOsErIoUs]

Yeah even if you've got 20/20 vision and you get the plano lenses you would still need to have a contact lens fitting test. This gives you your base curve readings. A local optomatrist will be able to test you.

 

[Electronic Lids]

Id recommend 9mm, they custom fit the lenses to your eyes, this works well if you need a prescription pair. wildeyes I would avoid...
Col

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Great info guys! Anyone else?

 

[Laffo]

it is against the law now to sell contacts without a doc perscription. even if ur eyes are perfect they have to measure u.

That's a new Federal Law - it used to depend on the State. In some States you never needed a prescription. If you were getting full scleral contacts you had to have your eye measured. If they are traditionally sized you didn't. Most FX lenses are no different than soft contact lenses so they are easy to fit and easy to wear. Full Scleral contacts are a ***** to get in and out and can be tough to wear.

I wildeyes I would avoid...
Col

Wildeyes are made by CIBA Vision so they are completely safe. They have made traditional contacts for years. More expensive (9mm) doesn't always mean better. Don't get me wrong - the 9mm products are great and they look really good, they are just more expensive than they need to be. They have some designs that are irreplaceable, but there are basic FX contacts that are the same, for a much better price.

The ones you have to look out for and avoid are contacts were made in China and made by small companies trying to cash in on Halloween. This isn't as much of an issue as it was a few years ago.
An Optometrist friend of mine found these for us, and this is who we've used for years. They are based here in Georgia and the folks who run the company are Optometrists. They aren't the fanciest but they hold up well, are easy to wear, and are soft lenses so they are safe. I've used these guys exclusively for the last 8 years or so.
http://www.gothiclens.com/index.html
Globally, there are only a handful of manufacturers of contact lenses and they get bought and re-packaged. That being said, I would still check country and date of origin. That's easy to check as these are regulated by the FDA.

Here's some more basic info:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/theatrical.htm
http://www.besteyeglasses.net/ContactLens_Tips/Tips-Healthy-Halloween-Contact-Lens.htm

It'll be interesting to see what these new regulations do the prices of contacts now.

Laffo.

 

[wonderboy]

check out www.fxeyes.com

 

[bagpus3]

I bought a set of these from a UK retailer, here's the advertising picture for the "Blue Flame"

This is what they look like out of the box:unsure, with & without flash

bit of a difference to whats advertized

These are made by Eyecasions "cosmetic conact lenses"

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Bagpus, have you tried them on yet to see what that look like with them in your eye?

 

[Laffo]

They look completely different in your eye. Both of those pictures have light shining through them. That won't happen in your eye. You also are staring at these things in saline, up close. That's not going to happen when they are in your eye either. These are typical consumer effect contacts. You paid $75 or under for them. They'll last a year with proper care. Used with the right costume they are worth 100 times what you paid for them.

I wouldn't buy $300 contacts unless there was going to be up close film work being done. I wouldn't. They have the same shelf life and the only plus is custom designs, larger selection, full sclera and better image quality. Most of the designs are terrible and super cheesy really, and unless it's extreme close up you'll never see the difference.

This is the same lens design in yellow. No Photoshop. Remember there only a handful of manufacturers of contact lenses, so the basic designs are made by the same people - no matter who you bought them from.

Laffo.

 

[bagpus3]

Bagpus, have you tried them on yet to see what that look like with them in your eye?

I'll try one on tonight for a pic & post it ltr, my disappointment is down to the advertizing pic showing a matalic blue hue that's not overtly evidant on whats on the lenses that arrived.

Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised when I try them on

 

[Laffo]

No, you wanted it to be metallic blue, that sample picture doesn't look metallic at all. It is Photoshopped. So the contrast is really high. That's obvious. You aren't going to get metallic contacts for less than $300. That's the breaks. I've never seen a blue metallic contact anyhow.
Laffo.

 

[Forcebewitya]

For example there is this place: http://www.9mmsfx.com/lenses.html

But I'd like to know if any of you have ordered from them and your opinions on it.

No, you wanted it to be metallic blue, that sample picture doesn't look metallic at all. It is Photoshopped. So the contrast is really high. That's obvious. You aren't going to get metallic contacts for less than $300. That's the breaks. I've never seen a blue metallic contact anyhow.
Laffo.

My friend InkyLink (pictured above) who makes costumes with me uses sclera contacts from 9mmsfx and has been using them a few years now with no problems at all. Like someone mentioned they do take your eye measurements which helps a lot, because I've also heard people having a lot of trouble with full eye sclera's when they do not give the company their eye circumference and stuff like that.

Forcebewitya.

 

[JUDGE_HELLFAST]

I'm not an expert at contact lenses, but I bought a couple sets of FX lenses from www.exoticlenses.com just for the hell of it and they have been super great. I haven't had any problems with them and they've lasted me for a long while. I will be ordering more from them in the near future.

 

[Darth Mule]

http://color-my-eyes.com/c-11-halloween-contacts.aspx

These are the best prices I've found. These are the same brand as offered on most of these sites. I haven't ordered from them, but was planning on it eventually.

Locally, the short pump wal-mart will get you in to be measured fairly quickly and for fairly cheap (most places around here have months long waiting to see an eye doctor).