Friday, February 17, 2012

Clear Care review and my red, irritated eyes



WARNING: This is VERY TEXT HEAVY x.x
Hi guys! I’m pretty excited to start blogging again. Honestly I’ve missed the blogger world. The community is much more intimate, and I’ve always appreciated being able to articulate my thoughts a bit better than I can in my videos. It’ll definitely be a delicate balance blogging while trying to maintain both my and my friend’s privacy, but I’m excited for the challenge and excited to be back!
So as many of you know, I haven’t been filming quite as often because of some issues with my eyes. They were enflamed, burning, dry, tearing, and light sensitive. Many of you offered your insight (a sty, ulcers and pink eye were common suggestions hehe) but I’ve actually had both eye ulcers and pink eye, and I knew whatever was going on was deeper than that. I must urge people to not be as stubborn as I am. I’ve never been a fan of medications or doctors, and as a disclaimer I must state that I am not one and so this post is purely my opinion and experience which you must take at your own risk. Anyway I think what first let me know this was different was that it would go away and then come back, it was unresponsive to antibacterial drops and my eye would go back to being okay after opening a new set of contacts
When the irritation first began I took a picture and posted it on facebook (I was trying to find some humor in it haha) and a friend recommended Clear Care to me. She told me she had been having the same problem and that it was because the contact solution she used was not thoroughly cleaning her lenses. I kind of dismissed it because generally speaking I’m not really open to change. I’ve used the same solution for 6 years. Its one of the more expensive brand names and I didn’t see why it would suddenly fail me. Then I decided to post up a video of my eye for more kicks and giggles on my Youtube and stumbled upon the following comment:
After this comment even more flooded in, all suggesting clear care saying that they had experienced the same thing.
I googled it (above and it came up without me even finishing it...which means it gets searched for often -_-) and pages and pages of hits came up talking about complications people experienced with Optifree solution and Acuvue Oasys contacts. Needles to say I was pretty convinced at this point. I headed over to Costco and bought a 2 16oz bottle pack of Clear Care. I read the instructions, and for good measure soaked my OLD lenses (that had been irritating me to see if it was the cause) three times…I put them in and BAM. No issues, no redness, no tearing, no light sensitivity. So I don’t know if allergens were being caught in my lenses or Opti Free simply doesn’t clean them well, but either way the two don’t work together in my case. I really cant thank you guys enough…I probably wouldn’t have gone until I absolutely couldn’t take it anymore. I have a pretty high pain threshold…so who knows how long that would have been -_-
For those you unfamiliar with Clear Care, it is a hydrogen peroxide solution. The case contains a metal ring that speeds up the neutralization process. Normally this would take days or even weeks to totally neutralize, but the ring speeds up the reaction so that it only takes 6 hours.
You take out your contacts (L and R are labeled) and put each on their respective side and then close the hinge over the lens. Do NOT use this solution with ANY other case. Only this case will neutralize the solution

Then you fill the container to the fill line and close it, and then you let it sit for 6 hours. THEY ARE NOT KIDDING. Do NOT put it in your eye before 6 hours, it will BURN your eye and has the potential to damage it.
Its $16.79 before Tax at Costco for two(2) 16 oz bottles of solution, 2 cases and one small travel bottle (for you Jetsetters). I just wanted to get the word out there because according to my comments this has happened to many, many of you. It sucks because opti-free has always been viewed as a superior brand name product, but I guess it goes to show that it definitely isn’t perfect. From what I saw it seems to only work adversely with the Oasys contacts, but I can’t help but say both of these products are on my forever poopoo list. That and I never noticed a huge difference between all the Acuvue contacts anyway so I don’t mind switching. I just took whatever my optometrist gave me and he’d usually switch me to whichever was the newest (wonder why =p).
So let me list the pros and cons as I see it:
CONS: I can see this being very expensive. You need to fill the container to the fill line, and the two bottles (according to people’s blogs) lasts only 5-6 weeks. I’m not sure what the volume of the container is, but an eyeball guess is that you’re using at least 4-6x the amount of solution daily. Normally that Costco pack of Opti-free that’s the same volume would last me most of the year! So quite costly indeed :/ I’ve seen some people say that they switch between this and regular solution (either every other day or Clear Care every 3 days), but I’m not so sure that I would feel comfortable doing that now considering the huge pain my eyes have been. However it would definitely cut down the cost and inconvenience if you are willing to try it.

You have to wait 6 hours to use them. They’re not kidding when they say this, you can Google a bunch of people’s stories when they mistook it for normal solution and received a most unpleasant surprise. Obviously this is a huge inconvenience! You’ll need to have some glasses on hand, but a friend suggested to me that if for whatever reason you need to wear them earlier than that to thoroughly rinse them with normal sterile saline solution…which would mean you’d need to have both on hand! I’d still be scared to do this because of all the horror stories of people hurting their eyes because they got some in their eyes, but I suppose its something to try if you’re in a pinch.
Also some people have mentioned issues with this system making contacts tear more easily, fortunately I haven't had this problem yet. But I do think its a bit cumbersome and time consuming to use...normally taking out/putting in contacts takes me a few seconds for each eye, so this does lengthen up the process. I also don’t always get 6 hours of rest every day, so Its definitely going to take some getting used to to take them out in time so they have enough time to soak.
PROS: You'll feel like you're wearing a new pair of contacts every time. Its also preservative free for those of you sensitive to them. I also like how the bottle has the same volume as other solutions but is tall and slender...which means more counter space ;D Its also fun to watch the bubbling action! haha
So thats it! As you guys can see my eyes are totally and %100 better :) It literally cleared it up right away. I hope this helps some of you guys that have been struggling as well.

love, Jackie

17 comments:

Takotsubo said...

Glad to see that your eyes are feeling much better. I love Clear Care! My friend introduced me to it, but I was more intrigued with the bubbly fizz of the H2O2 than its use as a cleaning agent haha.

Sara said...

Glad to see you're eyes are better :) I use clear care sometimes too, for deeper cleaning. But on the regular I do use the optifree. However, I don't use the Acuvue oasis contacts. I'm glad you got it figured out. And you're right about the 6 hours. The clear care solution can actually sting my skin :(

Maritza said...

you could always try dailies then you don't have to buy solution at all, they're a little more expensive but you don't have to wash them and everyday you put in a new pair. I use dailies and I love it

M.W. said...

So happy for you. I USE THIS MYSELF. It is a LIFE SAVER. Before I always had trouble EVERY morning putting in my contacts because they were burning my eyes and I would occasionally get pink eye. But after I got this HOLY JEEEZUS its amazing. Feels brand new everytime I use it and NO MORE PINK EYE~

Sue // www.suelovexx.com said...

Wow that's odd considering I've always been using Acuvue Oasys lenses and I've used opti-free from time to time and never had any problems. Will definitely avoid the brand from now though!!

Tara India said...

So glad your eyes are better now, I can't imagine how painful that would have been! Keep blogging too, I love your blog & have missed it. xox

http://myobsessiondujour.blogspot.com/

Joy said...

Glad your eyes are better. In college, a friend of mine had a virus in her eyes. I think her eye doctor said it was a strain of herpes. Initially we just thought it was some type of allergy or mild infection. She would discontinue using contact lenses and eye makeup and just use glasses. That had helped and she did heal. When she resumed using contacts and eye makeup, the symptoms returned. It was kind of like how you described, eye tearing, redness, et cetera. She was recommended by her eye doctor to throw out anything that had come into contact with her eyes, so that she would not continuously contaminate her eyes with products or items that had contained the viral strain. She had had to throw out a new package of contact lenses, the case, travel-size contact solution, all of her eye makeup that she had used within that time frame. Then with the help of prescription eye drops and brand new eye makeup, contact lenses, she healed up.
I just wanted to share this story with you.

Unknown said...

Amy- Haha the bubbles amuse me too!

Sara- Yea im thinking switching on and off between the two. Ive used other acuvue contacts with optifree for years with no problems =] whatever works!

Maritza- haha I've considered it! But not sure about dailies >.< It would be nice to not have to fuss with solution

M.W.- it IS a life saver^^ I was pretty miserable for awhile

Sue- haha well I mean I never had problems until now, who knows! Im sure it doesnt do this to everyone, but I just wanted to help people who may have been suffering from the same thing I was =] I dont want to scare people away from either haha! (Even though I will no longer be using either LOL)

Tara- it was really painful, I couldnt even walk or drive without crying >.< Thanks so much im glad people enjoy it :)

Joy- haha I thank you for your concern but I assure you it was no strain of herpes. Any kind of ailment with the eye whether it be allergies an ulcer dry eyes or pink eye...a lot of them share the same symptoms :) this is why everyone thought I had an ulcer, but if it was an ulcer a new pair of contacts wouldn't have solved my pain. As I mentioned I put my old contacts (that had been bothering me) in the solution to see if that was the problem, and those contacts no longer bother me and I am wearing them now :) Thank you for your concern though. But I no longer am experiencing any issues, the problem was my contact solution :)

Lisa said...

Jackie, I'm glad you shared this story. A similar situation happened to last month when traveling around China. My eyes did not work well with the solution I bought along with me, Aquify. It was uncomfortable traveling with red, teary eyes and switching on and off from glasses to contacts which my eye continued to reject. I went to my local Costco optometrist and he suggested it was my contact solution so he gave me both OPTI-FREE® PureMoist® and Renu Fresh contact solution to try and so far my eyes are a lot better. Perhaps you should try the new Opti Free PureMoist if the older version is insufficient in cleaning. It is their newest line of solutions. In case it doesn't work and you don't want to spend the money on a large bottle, ask the Costco Optometrist for a trial size-sample. Thanks for sharing the story. I will go try Clean Clear now! =)

Unknown said...

Wow I use the OptiFree Replenish solution for my lenses, I got a pair of circle lenses instead of Oasys this time around, I will definitely keep this in mind o.O

mirigoround said...

This happened to me, too! only it was with Bausch & Lomb contacts. I thought I'd have to wear glasses or get Lasik- no middle ground. So depressed... Until I bit the bullet and paid the $$$ for Clean Care. So much happier with this cleaning solution than all the traditional ones-- they really do feel fresh and new every morning.

Unknown said...

I don't wear contact for prescription but instead wear color circle lenses for fun. I have noticed recently every time I go to wear them within 5 mins my eyes are burning, stinging and tearing up. I usually use opti free for my solution but it expired. While purchasing a new part of lenses I got Solo Care instead. Ever since I have been using it I've noticed I can't wear my lenses anymore. Maybe it is the same thing? Because I have never had a problem with Opti free for years! Would you recommend Clear Care for my circle lenses?
This post was very helpful in helping me realize what is most likely wrong with my lenses! Thanks! :D

Unknown said...

@Brony

Hi Brony!

I feel as if I should say first off that I would caution you against circle lens use, particularly because you have never been fitted for contacts. Some people are not able to safely wear any kind of contact due to the curvature of their eye, which is why contacts are a prescription only medical device.

That being said, i'm sure you're well aware of all the other issues that have arisen around circle lens use. Because of their nature they naturally tend to damage people's eye lens more. They scratch the surface of many people's eyes, and I dont think any lens can be safely cleaned and reused for a period as long as a year.

Sorry! Not to be nagging at you or what not, but I'm very against people wearing contacts without any kind of fitment, and personally would never touch a pair of circle lens again because I know too many people now who've had serious problems from their use. The scary thing is most of them had no idea that the surface of their eye had become so damaged until going in for their next year's eye consultation. My ASSUMPTION (but you must take this lightly as I'm no eye care professional) is that the clear care solution would be fine for circle lenses. Its merely a h2o2 solution that neutralizes in the container. But i'm not sure exactly what the composition of a circle lens is vs a normal lens, since they can supposedly last for so long and they're so much thicker. I would just be cautious as hydrogen peroxide IS a acid and im not sure about the safety of the dyes or lens material in circle lens. In theory, the solution should work with any contacts. But because of all the things ive seen happen to people's eyes, I would honestly suggest you discontinue using them. But of course that choice is yours :) I think maybe Jen (frmheadtotoe) may have experience with circle lens and clear care formula as I know she uses both.

Good luck!

Jessica said...

THANK YOU so much for this. My eye doctor gave me Acuvue & Opti-free and my eyes were absolutely burning. I didn't know what was wrong. When I went back to the dr she acted like I wasn't taking care of my eyes properly. It never occurred to me to question the products she was endorsing. I've been using the Acuvue again but with Renu solution and I use the Clear Care about once a week. No more probs! And that way I save $ by not using the Clear Care as much. I'm really glad I found your post about this - I thought I was the only one with this problem!

Rosie said...

Oh my gosh I use this!! I live in Portugal, had the same problem some time ago and my optometrist gave me a package of this and ever since I haven't had any problems! I use this when my lenses are starting to irritate my eyes and I love it!!!

By the way, I just found your blog and youtube and I love both!!

xoRosie
http://teacupsanddresses.blogspot.com/

steampoweredlawngnome said...

I've been using ClearCare for about a year on recommendation from my optometrist, and I found a trick that works well for me.

I keep last month's contacts in the case from the last batch of clear care, and change the solution about once a week so it stays fresh. That way I always have a backup pair.

When it's time to put in a new pair of contacts, the pair I've been wearing goes in the "old" ClearCare case, and the previous old ones go in the trash.

steampoweredlawngnome said...

I've been using ClearCare for about a year on recommendation from my optometrist, and I found a trick that works well for me.

I keep last month's contacts in the case from the last batch of clear care, and change the solution about once a week so it stays fresh. That way I always have a backup pair.

When it's time to put in a new pair of contacts, the pair I've been wearing goes in the "old" ClearCare case, and the previous old ones go in the trash.