From The Straits Times    |

Photo: 123rf

Your eyes hurt from the glare of sunlight, or you’re momentarily blinded by the headlights of oncoming vehicles, and you wish your contact lenses offered you better protection.

Now, they can. The first-of-its-kind light-adaptive contact lens has arrived, and it’s designed to soothe your vision by reducing the stress from harsh lights.

ACUVUE® OASYS with Transitions is a transition contact lens that protects your eyes from UV rays and blue light.

These biweekly contact lenses are light-adaptive, and are able to filter various forms of harsh light, including the sun’s UV rays and artificial lights, both indoors and outdoors.

The lenses will turn a shade of purple when they are exposed to UV rays

This means that wearers will find themselves squinting less, which reduces long-term stress on their eyes.

Other than having clearer vision, your vision recovers up to five seconds faster when there’s a drastic change in lighting, and you’ll be seeing a lot fewer halos and starbursts at night.

The great news is that these contact lenses are available in zero-degree too – perfect for anyone who seeks additional UV protection but does not need visual correction!

According to a survey by ACUVUE, 78 per cent of people experience situations daily where they are bothered by certain lighting conditions. Respondents also shared that they feel bothered by changes in light levels when they go indoors from an outdoor area.

We put the ACUVUE® OASYS with TransitionsTM to the test, and here’s the verdict from our tester.

 

10am

You can barely see the difference (eye on right has contact lens on)

Under bright sunlight

Stepping out of the house into the bright sunlight, I found myself squinting much less – something I attributed to the contact lenses having the highest level of UV protection available in contact lens form. The indoor-to-outdoor transition didn’t feel as drastic compared with my usual experience, and there was no vision obstruction when the contact lenses transitioned. I only observed a slight purplish rim around the contact lenses.

 

3pm

The contact lenses are made out of silicone hydrogel for long-lasting comfort

Comfort check

The contact lenses still felt very comfortable and well-fitted to my eyes. Stepping out of the shopping mall to the bright outdoors, my eyes adapted to the intense change in light almost immediately, and I didn’t feel myself squinting as much as usual. The contact lenses did not shift or feel dry when I rubbed my eyes, and there was no need to use eyedrops.

 

8pm

Driving

While driving at night, I experienced a significant reduction in starburst effects from the headlights of oncoming cars, and also a reduction in halo effects from the streetlamps. My eyes felt moist even though the air-con was on at full blast in the car.

 

9pm

Night out at a bar

As I was using my phone in the dimly lit bar, I realised I was squinting less when I was looking at the device. My vision was crystal clear, and my eyes still still felt comfortable when I left the bar at 11pm.

 

12am

Home

Although it’s not recommended for contact lenses to be worn for more than 10 hours a day, my eyes still felt comfortable when I got home. The lenses were easy to remove – it didn’t feel like I had to pull “suction cups” from my eyes.

Definitely lived up to their promise of providing me with all-day soothing vision, even when faced with harsh lights!

 

9am

Next morning

I went contact lens-free for the earlier half of the day just to see if the headaches (caused by bright and harsh sunlight) would return. Indeed, I found myself squinting (again) in the sun, unlike the day before, when I had the contact lenses on.

 

The verdict

ACUVUE® OASYS with TransitionsTM contact lenses improved my night and day vision after three days of use, as they helped to filter the amount of surrounding harsh light that entered my eyes. With the contact lenses on, I wasn’t as bothered as before by bright light.

And I no longer feel as bothered by bright light with them on.

Each pack contains six contact lenses

You can get these contact lenses at any optical store that carries Acuvue contact lenses. To ensure that you are properly fitted for the contact lenses, be sure to book an appointment at an optical store to have your eyes thoroughly checked.

For me, I had my contact lens fitting at  Paris Miki at Jewel Changi Airport where I had a very pleasant experience, and the optometrist was able to recommend a suitable pair of ACUVUE OASYS Contact Lenses with Transitions for me.

Download the MyACUVUE™ app as first-time users can also enjoy a $20 discount on their first purchase. Do check in-store for more details on the starter kit promotions too.

 

 

 

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