Reader’s Review: Coopervision Proclear 1 Day @ Hirocon Singapore
I have almost forgotten that I used to wear contact lenses for nearly 8 years before I went for my lasik surgery in 2011. It was a hassle back then, as I took up the rigid gas permeable contact lenses (aka permanent lenses) that can be worn for a year and beyond. It was a cheaper alternative as compared to the daily or monthly wear, although I had to do the tedious daily cleaning, weekly protein-removal tablet soak.
I still remember how I wanted to wear them because it made me look less nerdy, but slowly, as I got lazier, I only clean the lenses when I need them for my gymnastic performances and wore my thick glasses for the rest of the time (Yes, I know it’s wrong, I was young and misinformed, so please don’t learn that from me!).
Nowadays, with the “big eyes” trend, many people are wearing cosmetic lenses more often than ever. They are readily available for sale in many optical shops and even online. But many people do not know that contact lenses, even if worn for cosmetic reasons, are considered “medical devices” that must only be worn under prescription of an eye care professional. Many people overlook that, which resulted in eye infection and problems!
Hirocon Singapore, short for Hirokoji Contact, is the first shop in Singapore to be specialised in selling ONLY contact lenses. Located at Orchard Gateway, Hirocon was first founded in Japan in 1988, with branches in Toyohashi, Hamamatsu and Toyama. I was surprised the wide range of brands Hirocon carry in-store.
Since I don’t have to wear prescriptive contact lenses anymore, I decided to give away this opportunity to a lucky fan/reader!
Jaslyn has been wearing contact lenses for 17 years, and she wore it daily for around 18 hours. Like all ladies, we want to look prettier without the glasses, but for Jaslyn, she felt more comfortable wearing lenses (unlike me!) and she found it more difficult to read when wearing glasses, as though she’s suffering from long-sightedness, and preferred contact lenses
Before any purchase of contact lens, a compulsory eye examination is required (HSA regulation) at Hirocon Singapore for first-time customers. There are three different eye examinations: (1) Refraction @ SGD$25 (2) Anterior Eye Health @ SGD$25 (3)Posterior Eye Health @ SGD$30.
The examination fees are waived with any purchase of lenses in the shop. There, a qualified optometrist will prescribed the customer (based on their eye health) with the most suitable contact lenses.
The Problem: Upon checking, the optometrist told us how Jaslyn’s eyes were not really suitable to wear contact lenses. One of her eye had a little spot covering her pupil. Jaslyn then told us how she has an eye infection 14 years ago, but it was supposed to have recovered as it was no longer painful. Although Jaslyn always notice the slight discomfort in her eye, she ignored the condition as it was still bearable. It was until the optometrist told her that if she continued to do so, she would not be able to wear contact lenses anymore that she knew it was serious.
She was advised to stop wearing contact lenses for a week and return for a re-examination. The optometrist discovered upon the second check that Jaslyn has not been blinking fully and allowing her eyes to be moisturized properly. Henceforth, it caused some over drying and “dying cells” in the lower portion of her iris. The optometrist then told me how Hirocon will not sell any contact lenses to customers who are not suitable for lens wear as they care about the customer’s eye health more than earning the money. Jaslyn was asked to come back for the third check up, she had to learn how to blink properly and take care of her eyes before they worsen!
The Prescription: Upon the third check up, Jaslyn finally “graduated”! She was prescribed the CooperVision Proclear 1 day contacts. The Coopervision Proclear is a hydrogel which has a unique PC Technology which create a natural resistance to dryness. The technology cause water molecules to become a part of the lens, creating a natural resistance to dryness, and enable the eyes to stay 96% hydrated throughout the day, even after 12 hours of wear.
The lenses is also able to maintain oxygen flow to help keep eyes clear! In fact, Proclear contacts are the only contact lenses cleared by the U.S. FDA for the claim: “may provide improved comfort for contact lens wearers who experience mild discomfort or symptoms relating to dryness during lens wear.”
Review from Jaslyn:
In comparison to her other experiences, the optometrist was very meticulous in her checking. She was surprised how the optometrist from Hirocon did not do a slipshod work and just do the prescription quickly. Even Jaslyn’s husband felt the same after she shared her experience with him.
After wearing the Coopervision Proclear 1 day, Jaslyn was amazed by how hydrated her eyes felt. She will usually experience eye dryness by the end of the day after wearing her usual brands, but when she put on the Coopervision Proclear, she didn’t feel any discomfort and it felt almost as if she wasn’t wearing any lens!
Hirocon Singapore
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm
Address: 277 Orchard Road #B2-28, Orchard Gateway Singapore, 238858
Tel: +65 6702 3777
For more information, do check out Hirocon Singapore’s website and Facebook Page!
Coopervision
For more information about Coopervision, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses and related products and services, check out their official website and Facebook page.
P.S. I will be doing more of such giveaway soon! Do follow me via my social media platforms to be updated! 🙂
xoxo
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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. Note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time.
1/2 of #TheEpiphanyDuplet, Tiffany Yong juggles her ABCs – Acting, Blogging and Coaching/Consulting as she is fuelled by passion and drive to succeed.
It is not easy to make a living in Singapore just purely based on Acting, so with Blogging to help her with her online presence, and Coaching kids drama, private tutoring and freelance social media consulting to finance her life, she is currently leading the life most people hope to have: Living the Dream!
Thank you for sharing such useful info. I had being survey about this things for a long time already as wearing glasses are so uncomfortable sometimes.
I seldom wear contact lens.. But sometimes I c the range of contact lens is really nice.. And the outcome of wearing contact is really beautiful!
these lenses sounds good! i have trouble with them drying after a few hours :S
I’ve struggled with contact lenses. I’ve always have problems putting them on than getting them off. Plus I sometimes forget how many hours it has been on my eye. To avoid the danger, I stopped wearing lenses and even stopped wearing the eyeglasses. I guess my vision is improving, I’ve not become so reliant or dependent on glasses. Now I can go out without an eyeglass or a contact lens.
I’ve been wearing contacts since college. I make sure to have a day off or two from wearing contacts though to rest the eyes.
I love how Hirocon is more concerned for the heath of its patients’ eyes than just blindly prescribe lenses to fulfill sale targets. If I ever want to get cosmetic lenses to make my eyes bigger, I will definitely try this company out 😉
I love your throwback pics Tiffany, even if you call yourself a nerd, you are a cute and adorable nerd then!
The contacts you chose look good on you, I like that they really make your eyes bigger. You look like a doll.
It’s commendable of the optometrist to do such a thorough job. Our eyes are so important and sometimes people don’t realize the importance of getting proper lenses (and taking care of them)
Love the way they did an eye check up for finding the exact number and perfect lens for her. I am wearing contacts for quite long and understand how important it is to have a comfortable one for my eyes.
I used to wear contact lenses but I am so lazy cleaning them. I’m back to wearing corrective eye glasses.
That’s a sweet thing you did! Am glad your reader had a good experience with Hirocon. Keep up the thoughtful work Tiff 🙂
I wear glasses. Tried contact lenses but my eyes easily get irritated and dry. Cannot tolerate it. So back to glasses. Should have gone for a lasik, huh? But surgery on the eye is scary. – Fred
Cosmetic contact lens is a trend in our country (yes until now). Younger generation loves to look like they have the eye of a foreigner or a doll (or even a vampires!). It’s cute but these kids are forgetting how harmful it could be for their eyes. I’ve always believed that contact lens should be prescribed and only worn for those who have eyesight problems and not for fun. Eyes are such a delicate part of our body and should be well taken care of.
I am so glad Jaslyn managed to get the contacts in the end – great to see a very thorough optician doing a thorough testing of her eyes!
You were an adorable kid! Anyway, I was a bit hesitant to wear contacts, but seeing this review made me at ease.
The contact lenses available nowadays have really nice colors. I have never tried using them though.
I have 20/20 vision, I can even see in the dark sometimes haha. My sister uses both glasses and contact lenses, she’s blind without them. All I know is that you’re not supposed to wear them when you sleep or the consequences are grave, I think.
My husband wore glasses before, then changed his diet (less fatty food that can clog up the pathway for our eyes to get their nutrients, more Vitamin A rich food), proper eye care (no reading in the car, no watching tv in the dark) and wore pin hole glasses (at least 15 minutes a day). He’s now 20/20 again like me, it worked. 🙂
I’ve been hearing a lot of scary stuff about contact lenses. This was very helpful though because I might need my own contacts someday! 🙂
You are very careful with your eyes especially the contact lenses. I heard about this item but never used it. Hope you’ll get the best contact lenses for you.
wow, didn’t know that we might not be blinking fully. I used to love wearing contacts but since working (need to wake up at 6am) I stopped, because it never go in. switched to those huge rimmed plastic nerd glasses and left my stock of monthlies for very occasional weekend-dates only.
I like the variety of colors available in the market – admittedly, this makes contacts very appealing to me. There have been times that I was tempted to get a pair but I have friends who complain about ‘how hassle it is to remove it at night’ but I would love to try the big eyes thing that’s popular these days. I already have big eyes so it would be bigger eyes for me, but like what you said, a contact lens is still a medical device that needs prescription from a professional even if it were for cosmetic reasons.
I don’t wear prescription glasses and have never had to. I do know that if I ever have to that I want someone who knows what they’re doing taking care of my eyes, and it seems like that is what they are doing here.