Introduction
Cole Martin Tregaskis Optometrists have fitted contact lenses since the earliest days of contact lens practice. Our staff have been involved in contact lens research, have lectured on the subject, and have been examiners in contact lens practice for the College of Optometrists. Our new patients are usually referred to us by surgeons, doctors, other optometrists or opticians, or by our existing patients.
We are an independent practice and are not tied to any particular manufacturer. Hence, we have at our disposal literally hundreds of different types of contact lenses. This gives us the freedom to fit whichever lenses are likely to be most appropriate and healthy for a given patient.
Costs involved in contact
lens wear
There are three costs involved in contact lens wear. Clearly, one expense is the actual cost of the lenses, but this is not usually the major expense.
Much of the cost involved in contact lens wear is for the
practitioner's time and expertise. It is essential that contact lenses are
fitted carefully, that patients are fully instructed in their use, and that
they are regularly checked. Our fitting
fee is an inclusive fee covering the preliminary appointments, fittings,
tuition, and after-care checks for 6 months. The total amount of consultation
time is usually 2-3 hours. If problems occur and extra appointments are
required then these are covered 
by
the initial fee.
Patients who develop side-effects from contact lenses are often unaware of these. Hence, wearers need regular checks, in addition to their normal eye examinations. These additional appointments are not paid for by the NHS, so have to be met with a private fee. After the initial adaptation period, wearers usually just need “combined checks” every year or, for continuous wear lenses, every 6 months. If problems occur then more frequent appointments may be required.
The final expense of contact lens wear is the cost of solutions. Typically, this is about £10 a month. Daily disposable and continuous wear lenses do not routinely require solutions. Poor hygiene can cause infections which can, in extreme cases, lead to loss of sight. This is why lens cases, and lenses themselves, should be changed regularly. If the instructions for lens care are followed correctly, then the risk of serious infection is very low (about 1 in 2,500).
To help compare different types of lenses, we have calculated the typical costs per day for a patient wearing a pair of lenses, including the aftercare appointments and typical solutions. This is shown in the shaded areas on the price list below.
Types of lens: gas
permeable or soft
The cornea receives its oxygen from the air and modern contact lenses transmit a high level of oxygen. Hard lenses have be superseded by rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP) and modern soft lenses have a high water content and tend to be thinner than older types.
Research has shown that modern RGP lenses are one of the healthiest types of lenses to wear, but they are also sometimes difficult to get used to and a few people cannot adapt to them.
Soft lenses: conventional
or disposable
One of the reasons why soft lens wearers are more prone to complications is because the lenses are porous. This means that they tend to attract deposits and bacteria. These problems have led to the development of disposable soft lenses, where the wearer aims to replace them at regular intervals ranging from every day to once every three months.
Lenses that last for a month are cost effective and are probably the most popular. However, daily lenses have dropped in price and are becoming increasingly popular because they are more convenient and believed to be healthier.
Special lens types
Continuous wear lenses can be slept in overnight and have to be very permeable to oxygen. A new generation of “silicone hydrogel” soft continuous wear lenses have recently become available in the UK, and we were one of the first practices to fit these lenses. This revolutionary new material has been shown in research to make continuous wear much healthier than in the past. The lenses are worn day and night for 30 days. They require more intensive after care so the fitting fee is higher and check-ups are needed every six months. Even with these lenses, the risk of infection is still higher than in daily wear (about 5 in 2,500).
Toric lenses are required to correct some types of astigmatism. With modern soft and RGP lenses, virtually all types of astigmatism can be corrected with contact lenses.
Bifocal lenses can be used for people who need separate prescriptions for distance vision and for reading. Cole Martin Tregaskis optometrists have specialised in fitting soft and RGP bifocal lenses for many years.
Warranty
All our non-disposable contact lenses are supplied with a three month warranty, starting from the date of the order. Fitting fees are not refunded.
With disposable lenses the trial period is for the usual life span of your first pair of lenses, or for one week with daily lenses. We also refund the cost of any unopened boxes of lenses or solutions. The prices of our most commonly used lenses are given below. We can fit almost any type of contact lens and prices for less commonly used lenses are available on request.
Contact lens prescriptions & specifications
When a contact lens fitting has been completed, then we issue our patients with a copy of their contact lens prescription. If this is lost then we will provide a copy and we do not make a charge for this service. Patient confidentiality is very important to us and we will only provide copies of a patient’s prescription to that patient, not to third parties. To avoid errors, we do not provide or verify prescriptions over the telephone or by fax.
Appointments |
Usual fee |
Prof. Evans |
|
normal eye examination |
32.00 |
42.00 |
|
contact lens check |
32.00 |
42.00 |
|
combined check (eye exam &
contact lens check) |
62.00 |
75.00 |
|
new wearer fitting fee refitting existing wearer extra fee for (re)fitting torics/bifocals add extra fee for (re)fitting continuous wear add |
145.00 |
|
|
90.00 |
||
|
30.00 |
||
|
30.00 |
||
The
typical cost per day of wearing a pair
of lenses,
including solutions & aftercare, is
shown in the shaded columns below
|
Rigid lenses |
cost
of lenses per pair |
total cost of wear per day |
|
hard
lens (PMMA) |
130.00 |
0.60 |
|
standard
gas permeable lens |
150.00 |
0.68 |
|
special
gas permeable material |
170.00 |
0.73 |
|
toric
gas permeable |
200.00 |
0.81 |
|
bifocal
gas permeable |
260.00 |
0.82 |
|
|
|
|
|
Conventional soft lenses |
|
|
|
standard
soft lens |
130.00 |
0.80 |
|
special
soft lens material |
150.00 |
0.84 |
|
standard
soft lens tint |
130.00 |
0.80 |
|
special
soft lens tint |
200.00 |
0.95 |
|
standard
soft toric |
190.00 |
0.93 |
|
special
soft toric |
240.00 |
1.03 |
|
bifocal
soft lens |
225.00 |
1.00 |
|
Disposable soft lenses
(std
means standard) |
|||
|
disposed
every: |
(solutions not included) |
cost
of lenses for both eyes |
total
cost of wear per day |
|
1 month std |
6 months supply (12 lenses) |
55.00 |
0.77 |
|
toric/tint/Biofinity |
6 months supply (12 lenses) |
80.00 |
0.88 |
|
bifocal |
6 months supply (12 lenses) |
100.00 |
1.19 |
|
continuous
wear |
6 months supply (12 lenses) |
120.00 |
0.86 |
|
fortnight std Acuvue oasys toric |
6 months supply (24 lenses) 6 months supply (24 lenses) 6 months supply (24 lenses) |
70.00 80.00 90.00 |
0.83 0.85 0.96 |
|
bifocal |
6 months supply (24 lenses) |
105.00 |
1.04 |
|
day
Acuvue all other makes Ciba toric/bifocal Acuvue moist/toric tinted |
6 months supply (360
lenses) 6 months supply (360
lenses) 6 months supply (360
lenses) 6 months supply (360
lenses) 6 months supply (360
lenses) |
200.00 150.00 210.00 225.00 360.00 |
1.27 0.99 1.32 1.40 2.14 |