UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I need to get hold of some Amidose Saline. I've been informed you can now get them with a screw top on them, like a toothpaste tube. The only ones I've found on the net are the 'cut the top off' and throw away ones. Does the screw top ones exist, if so, where can I get them from??

AMidose has always had screw tops that you can put back on - ever since I first used than back in ...... errmmm, early to mid 80s... can it really be that long ago???
At one stage, they didn't have very GOOD screw caps, so you thought you'd screwed them back on, and then found you had a sodden handbag with the cap rolling around the bottom and the amidose all gone walkabout. Grrr! Which prompted a campaign for everyone to save the tops of the previous sort to reuse on the new tubes with the lousy tops.
They went back onto the proper sort now - though you stil have to make sure you screww them on fully of you get soggy bags.
The tubes you still have to cut the tips off the first time you use them.
I've never heard of ones that can't be recapped (if you have the right cap).
If your supplier is still selling the old stock with the dodgy caps, maybe it just isn't obvious it's meant to be possible to screw them back on.
Have a look at the best by date on the box........
I'll try to remember to bring along to the picnic at the weekend some spare caps of the reliable variety - if you might be coming to the picnic? - or if anyone else who is coming has the same problem?
Rosemary

Hey Rosemary,

Thanks for the reply.

I have 3 Questions:

1) Where do you get your Amidose Saline from?

2) How much?

3) As they have screw caps on, how long can you re-use once initially opened ?? (i assumed as it was 'sterile' once opened you'd have to chuck once used once, as it's technically not sterile anymore as its come into contact with the air which potentially has bacteria in it, which in turn could cause eye infections etc).

Hi Chris,
The answers are probably not going to help you much....

1. Moorfields Eye Hospital Pharmacy department, on prescription for contact lens fitter.
2. Latest MEH "ration" was 2 boxes of 12 tubes each for a prescription charge. But I get prescription "season tickets" and everything goes on those.

I have got them from other places, but not since before I moved to London, IIRR.

3. You're right that once the tip is cut, then the contents are no longer sterile. However, I've never had probblems with the contents "going off" - it's only salty water, after all, and not much is going to grow in that. Not ever when I was in Africa in the heat. I reckon they last about a week, soetimes a bit less if I've been having lens problems and it's taken 3 goes to get them in sometimes. The contents runs out for me long before it goes off.

But I expect the reason you've seen them advertised on the web as single-time use only is because of concerns about no longer being sterile after being opened.
Hope this makes sense.
Rosemary

Thanks Rosemary, thats really helpful, will go down the season ticket route, will work out cheaper, as I just bought some online 3 x 12 tubes for £30 odd quid. I assuming they'll hopefully last me more than a month or two.