The Bottom Line: In the sub-$20/box category, the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier are real winners. I have tried many contacts, and have trusted these for a long time.
soupcraze's Full Review: Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier
Currently I am wearing the Acuvue Oasys contact lenses, but before using them, I was wearing both the Acuvue 2 lenses as well as the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier contact lenses. I would switch off from one pair to another after they would pass the two-week throw-out date.
Before diving into my experiences with the lenses, I would like to just mention a few things about myself. I currently suffer from an eye condition called Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC), where I easily become allergic to the lenses. It makes contact lens use very difficult. While wearing the lenses, I used Alcon's daily protein remover in Costco's Kirkland contact lense solution (I have switched solutions since then.) I also take Zaditor twice daily to help control the GPC.
Despite the bad reactions towards contact lenses, I have been able to wear the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier with no apparent issues when using Zaditor, daily protein remover, and disposing the contacts after two weeks. Nonetheless, after over a year of wearing the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier contact lenses, I would like to share with you my feelings.
-PRICE-
*The Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier are around $15 or so a box. These contacts are much cheaper than the Acuvue Oasys that I currently wear, and other fancier contact lenses. They are comparably priced to the Acuvue 2 lenses, but are (just) slightly more expensive. For the overall performance that the contact lenses give, they are definitely worth it. Except for the friction that occurs after extended wear, it has hard to reach the level of comfort that they have. If you are in search of ultra-comfortable contact lenses at a low price, these are a great choice. I will talk more in-depth about the comfort a bit later.
-COMFORT-
*The lenses are extremely comfortable for most part. When I just put them in or wore them for a few hours, I would often forget that there were contact lenses in my eyes! Their overall fluid retention was very good. I never experienced dry eye with the lenses. There was just one downside that I experienced when wearing the lenses for an extended period of time, usually beyond ten hours. I would feel friction from the contact lens against my eye. My eyes were no dried out, but the contact would rub against it. It was not painful, and if I did not think about it, it would not bother me as much. But this was definitely something that was noticeable. Nonetheless, I feel that having the friction after extended wear was better than the complete dryness I experienced with the Acuvue 2 lenses. Anyway, I would like to make a comparison between the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier and the Acuvue 2 and Acuvue Oasys lenses to make it easier for you...
**VS Acuvue 2**
-> I find the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier to be an interesting competitor against the Johnson & Johnson Acuvue 2 lenses. Both lenses are extremely comfortable, and I would forget with either one that I am wearing lenses. The main difference comes after wearing the lenses for many hours. The Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier would begin to create friction against my eye, and this would be bothersome. The Acuvue 2, on the contrary, does not appear to have the same level of fluid retention. So while the Acuvue 2 does not create friction with me, the contact instead dries out. I then have very itchy eyes and foggy lenses. Re-wetting drops maybe helpful, but I only find it helpful to completely remove the lens and then re-insert it with fresh saline. I think that the friction with the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier might be caused due to the bumps from my GPC. So you should try a trial pair and see what you think. If this is the case, I would have to say that the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier are worth the extra couple of bucks and are better overall than the Acuvue 2 lenses.
**VS Acuvue Oasys**
-> I switched to the Johnson & Johnson Acuvue Oasys contact lenses since they had the same level of comfort and water retention, but did not have friction after wearing the lenses for many hours. The Acuvue Oasys contacts are nearly $10 a box more. Does this added level of comfort justify the purchase? If you have the same luck with the Acuvue Oasys, it is for you to decide which one you would like better.
Overall, the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier are very formidable contacts against some of the other most comfortable lenses I have worn. They have a slight edge over the Acuvue 2, but fall short of the most expensive Acuvue Oasys. They don't fall too far away though, so they definitely might replace the Acuvue Oasys if the Johnson & Johnson contacts become too expensive.
-FLUID RETENTION-
*I was very pleased with the level of fluid retention that the contacts had. They definitely remained moist much longer than the Acuvue 2 lenses. I seriously can not think of a time when these lenses completely dried out to uncomfortable levels. I have been able to wear the lenses for an entire day (Over 16 hours) without any lack of moisture. I do not sleep in contact lenses though, so I can not comment on that. They are on par with the Acuvue Oasys with fluid retention, where they have the advantage of not producing friction after a long time. Nonetheless, if you do not experience friction, the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier perform beautifully, and will keep your eyes comfortable all day!
-EASE OF USE-
*The Johnson & Johnson Acuvue line of contact lenses might be better for beginners since they have the "123" system to show the user whether the contact lens is open in the correct direction. If you are experienced with contact lenses, these should not be a problem. Otherwise, just make sure you are careful!
-CONCLUSION-
*For the price, the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier are very difficult to beat. I preferred them slightly over the Acuvue 2 contact lenses, even though I was happy to wear either pair. The Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier provide unsurpassed comfort, durability, and fluid retention in the price range. My only complaint was the friction caused after extended-wear. The more expensive Acuvue Oasys lenses alleviated this issue, but were also more expensive at $25/box. In the sub-$20 range, the Ocular Sciences Biomedics 55 Premier give you tremendous bang for the buck, and make wearing contact lenses a pleasure for those on a very tight budget.
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