My new Flex-Edge Lenses

[Amarpal]

Sorry haven't replied for a while- had lots of things going on recently!

Well it has been a week since i got my new lenses. I'll briefly tell you what I think of them so far.

Vision: The most important bit- I feel my vision has improved greatly. Although my eyesight hasnt increased that greatly, things appear less blurry, which I think is mostly down to the increased stability of the lens compared to the RGPs.

Comfort: A fair improvement over RGPs. eyes don't get as tired, but I have noticed something I have never had with the RGPs. After wearing the lenses for a whle, I can see a ghosty haze, but hasnt been to much of a problem. Also, I feel my light sensitivity has increased slightly.

Overall: The reason I was given these lenses was partly to see if my vision improved, but mostly because my RGPs would not stay in my eyes! For the first time in 3 years, my lenses haven't fallen out of my yes a single time since I recieved these lenses. This is a big change for me- it was very frustrating in school when my lenses feel out during a lesson, so it has made a great improvement.

So yeh, I am very very pleased with these new lenses so far- they have made life alot easier! Although light sensitivty has increased etc, the benefits have definitely out-weighed the complications.

[Anna Mason]

I notice the flex edge website mentions ken p how new is the lens do we know and is it worth discussing at my next oxford outing also any idea of the cost as I think the national health service dont like spending money they would issue us all with a roll of cling film and a grey plastic bucket with two eyeholes cut in it if it gave good enough vision to do the washing up and was cheap! (thats the finance people not the experts)

[Andrew MacLean]

Arampal

That sound more like it! Thanks for the review of your new lenses.

Andrew

[Amarpal]

Anna,

I dont really know how new these lenses are. My practitioner had never used them before, but they have been used by other practitioners. Maybe an optometrist could clear this up?

[Christine Wright]

Hi
The Flex edge lenses have been out for about a year. They are the same idea as softperms - Gas permeable centre fused with soft surround. One of the limitations with softperms has always been that they are just made in curvatures for "normal" eyes, so as soon as a KC eye gets steeper than the normal range, the softperm won't fit. The Flex edge has a much wider range, and Jack Allen's firm can make them up to very steep fittings. I've had some good successes and some disappointments so far. We're still on the learning curve - for the manufacturer and the Optometrists! It's quite complicated getting the centre and the soft part to fit correctly, especially on "non standard" eyes.

[jayuk]

Christine

Thats interesting....have you had much success with Advanced KC cases?

Jay

[piper]

I wore soft perms for just over a year and loved them......reasonable accuity and very comfortable. But, after a year they came un-bonded at the joint and WOW......that was an experience in pain.

That was really the begnnning of a long journey, finding a good optometrist and eventually an optham and surgery.

Enjoy them while they work for you. With luck, you will not develop any more steepness and they will continue to do the job.

Piper

[Andrew MacLean]

Piper

Good to see you again, my friend. How are you, and where are you now in your journey towards a PK and Cataract operation?

My Cataract has been a great success (my assessment). I go back to the clinic in a couple of weeks, and expect to be told that I am fit to drive. Then I have to write to our licensing authority and ask them to check my vision, then I go for their test and then they will tell me what I already know.

Why does everything take so long?

Still, if you can take any courage from my experience, the cataract is a breeze and if your sight coming out is as good as mine, you will not regret the decision to go ahead. If only they would attact a guarnatee to the procedure!

Andrew

[Asif]

I've been using flex edge for about a year and have gone through several different fits, getting flatter each time. I havent got on very well with these. Once the lens is in it feels comfortable, almost as good as a softperm, but the flexable edge sticks to the eye after a few hours causing the lens to become tight/immobile. Therefore preventing good tear exchange between blinks and reduces the oxygen reaching the eye. The immobility can cause the lens to feel comfortable but in the long term can cause problems, which is why my eyes would feel sore after a week of wearing them. Artificial tears dont really help as much as the lens will tighten up again after 10 mins and taking them out can be difficult. They were good to start of with though but present the same problems I was suffernig with softperms. I'm now at that stage where I only wear them a few days a week for a less time as possible and am due to see my optom next week.

[GarethB]

Asif,

Which artificial teasr have you tried?

When I had a lens drying on my eye, I found the watery ones did nothing. The more viscous ones like Systane did the trick for me.