I've been on the hunt for a decent alternative to my old faithful contact lenses from Bausch & Lomb. They just weren't cutting it for me anymore, as they felt way too thick, and I could feel them on my eyes within a couple of hours of putting them in.
I've been ordering lenses from INOPTIKA for years, and when I saw their ad offering two pairs of their INOPTIKA MONTHLY lenses for 990 rubles, I thought it was too good to pass up.
Since my husband and I both use lenses, the deal seemed like a no-brainer.
What did give me pause, though, were the negative reviews under the product. Despite the overall rating being five stars, people were complaining that the lenses were too thin, hard to put in, and kept falling out.
But since I was specifically looking for thin lenses, we decided to take the plunge.
And then, the long-awaited package arrived:
Official info from INOPTIKA's website:
InOptika Monthly - soft, hydrogel contact lenses designed for monthly replacement.
They feature a patented aspheric design, PolyVue Hight Definition, which ensures crisp, high-contrast vision and corrects complex image distortions like spherical aberrations*.
They also provide UV eye protection.
The lens is made from a unique biocompatible material with added sodium hyaluronate. Sodium hyaluronate binds and retains moisture within the contact lens, providing long-lasting comfort during wear, and maintaining the lens's moisture content without disrupting the tear film balance.
The lenses are manufactured in South Korea by Interojo inc. under a license from American corporation PolyVue Technology Inc.
Technical specifications:
Replacement - monthly.
Wearing mode – daily.
Material – Bioxifilcon B.
Water content - 55%.
Diameter - 14.2 mm.
Base curve (radius) - 8.6 mm.
Packaging – 6 lenses.
Compared to our usual INOPTIKA MONTHLY lenses, these had 4% less water content and a different material. Everything else was the same.
What we see in the packaging:
Three pairs of lenses in plastic packaging each. The labels have all the necessary information about the lens:
First off, the lens itself is a lot thinner than I expected, which is exactly what I needed. It's so thin that without the cleaning solution, it doesn't even hold its shape:
So, these lenses might not be suitable for people who are just starting out with contacts. They're really easy to tear. And if you squeeze them too hard, they'll get all squished together.
But we've been wearing contacts for ages, so we didn't have any problems putting them in.
If I had to put the Bausch & Lomb SOFLENS 59 lenses in, I had to literally force them into my eye, but the InOptika Monthly lenses are a breeze to put in – one smooth motion.
But here's the catch – they don't immediately settle into place on your eye.
My sister, for example, who I lent a pair to, still couldn't get the hang of them.
Yes, for the first half hour to an hour after the very first time you put them in, these lenses will feel like they're floating in your eye.
But eventually, everything settles back into place. And with subsequent wearings, there are no issues at all. The lens just snaps into place.
As for the downsides, I mentioned in my review of the SOFLENS 59 that they're great for my husband – he even sleeps in them sometimes, and it doesn't cause any discomfort.
Although the lenses from Bausch also require monthly replacement, my husband can wear them for up to three months because he forgets to switch them out.
With the InOptika Monthly lenses, he doesn't have that problem. He says his eyes get dry by the evening, and he wants to take them off as soon as possible. I haven't tried sleeping in them yet, but it's probably not going to work.
I, on the other hand, have only positive experiences with the InOptika Monthly lenses.
Now let's move on to the positives, since the negatives are all said and done:
First off, I don't feel these Korean lenses on my eyes at all. I don't get the urge to rub and scratch my eyes like I do with the SOFLENS 59 from Bausch & Lomb.
They're completely invisible on my eyes, like Bausch. That's a huge plus.
I'm wearing InOptika Monthly lenses
And the final, but most important plus - my vision with the InOptika Monthly lenses is amazing! I haven't had such great correction from any lenses in a long time! Maybe it's because of the 'aspheric' design, but I tried something similar from Maxima before, and they didn't work for me.
I held off on writing this review for a month to give you an objective opinion.
Well, it's been over a month now, and I've worn the second pair of lenses. I wanted to say that, at this point, they're my top choice.
They don't slip out of my eyes, there are no issues with putting them in or taking them out, my vision is crystal clear, and my eyes don't get tired. And the price - it's a steal! I'm not sure how long this promotion will last, though.
Considering everything I've said, I'm giving these lenses a 4 out of 5. Because, taking into account the large number of negative reviews, and the fact that they didn't work for my husband, and didn't suit my sister, I couldn't give them a 5.
I'd definitely recommend these Korean lenses, but it's a bit like a lottery - you might love them, or you might find you can't stand wearing them. You won't know until you try them out. Maybe these lenses will be a good fit for people who don't like products from Bausch & Lomb, like me.
My other reviews on nearsightedness and its correction:
Surgery for nearsightedness - is it worth it?
Contact lenses Bausch&Lomb SofLens 59
All my reviews on beauty and health.
My review of IRecommend.
Wishing you all good health and a positive attitude! 😉