AirOptix Green Contact Lenses Review

This year, I was finally able to join the bandwagon and see what makes AirOptix so great! AirOptix is the higher end offering from Alcon, the makers of Freshlook. There is a whoooole plethora of scientific comparisons between the two if you Google. But what makes AirOptix even better than Freshlook is that it has a higher level of oxygen permeation (i.e. is more breathable), and that it has this sort of smooth lens technology that makes it repel contaminants and irritants that may cling to it throughout the duration of use. The end result is lenses that you may end up forgetting that they’re there! I love Freshlook in general, but with these lenses, it’s an even higher level of comfort. 

I got the color Green, which is a subtle shade in the AirOptix family. Please take the photos in this review with the mindset that I took these swatches and try on shots with studio lighting configuration. In real life, when I am looking at the mirror while wearing this, the color is not as apparent. Selfies in areas that aren’t well lit will not show this color prominently. This is meant to be a subtle enhancement for those who want to look a little extra without going overboard. 

The Obvious (because I have been asked these questions so many times): These lenses can be purchased in most malls and optical stores, and are typically NOT sold in drugstores. Kindly google or check your nearest optical store to see if they carry this. More or less every single mall nationwide should have a store that sells this. I am sorry if I just cannot answer every single query asking me as to where these lenses can be found.

These  are for 1 month use only AND STRICTLY 1 MONTH ONLY. When you open a pair, you can use it as many times as you wish up until the one month mark. These are reusable lenses (I.E. NOT THE 1 DAY DISPOSABLE ONES), BUT JUST FOR 1 MONTH. It does not matter whether you used this for a day or for 30 days– the moment you open the seal, YOU HAVE EXACTLY 1 MONTH. The all caps is because I was improperly informed by Ideal Vision and was told that Freshlook lenses last for up to a quarter. I was wearing a pair of my Freshlook lenses at about 2 months since opening and it split inside my eye. No joke it split in half inside my eye. I did not know the problem at first, and after a few days, I proceeded to use another pair beyond its use date as well. It also split inside my eye. These lenses are made FOR JUST ONE MONTH AND ONE MONTH ALONE. Even if you bargain with yourself or your optometrist to allow you to extend, it will not stop these lenses from splitting in half if worn beyond the intended usage time. These lenses are not to be argued with. 

Another thing I get asked so often is about grade, so yes, these lenses have graded and non graded ones. If your eyes have uneven grade levels, you may raise this to your optometrist and buy one piece for each eye and pay the usual price for a pair. I also will apologize that I CANNOT prescribe your grade. I am not an optometrist. I get asked often what is a “good grade” to buy and this really just isn’t the product where you guess it. These lenses are investments for yourself. You don’t just hastily guess and order off the internet like the other brands. You get yourself checked and buy for your needs. 

This also leads me to the next question of if this is available online, as far as I know, it’s not because these are medical grade lenses. These are made by Alcon, a leading medical company for eyes, and they are all about making people’s lives better by getting them the professional help they need. If there are stores that are selling this online, I’d also be scared because they could be fake, improperly priced, expired, or tampered with. I would always recommend y’all to buy from physical stores because there’s more accountability in general. 

And since I am on this topic, lemme clarify that contact lens solution IS NOT THE SAME as lubricant. Alcon has Opti-Free contact lens solution and Systane lubricant eye drops. The two serve different purposes. Opti-Free is the “soup” where you’ll store your lenses in. You use it to clean, disinfect, and remove lipids from your lenses. Systane, on the other hand, is a brand of eye drops. Opti-Free is to lenses as Systane is to eyes. You cannot just randomly grab your Opti-Free bottle and squirt it on your eyes. On the flipside, soaking your lenses in Systane is also wrong and will cost you a lot of money. Opti-Free can be bought in optical shops, while Systane can be bought in optical shops and pharmacies. You can not use Systane if you don’t feel problems with lenses (though most probably you’d need it too), but you cannot not use Opti-Free for your lenses. Soaking your lenses in any solution that is not contact lens solution may just cause them to degrade and expire prematurely. 

Okaaay so I hope that takes care of the FAQ section! 

Comfort: These are suuuper comfy lensesssss!!! I have had plenty of experiences putting this on, going about my errands, and forgetting that they’re there. Lenses always have this sort of feeling that they’re there, and it just happens to be less pronounced with thinner and more breathable lenses. I have noticeably needed less eye drops when using this compared to other lenses because they’re so breathable. I have found myself plenty of times bringing eye drops with me just in case, but oftentimes I end up not even using them. 

BUT let me clarify that all users in general have a lens break in period. I started wearing contact lenses in 2013, so I already am used to wearing them. If you are wearing this for the first time, it’s ABSOLUTELY NORMAL to feel some discomfort and to tear up a bit more often. And you really may need eye drops when you use lenses. I attended an event with walk ins throwing their lenses away the moment they got them on and taking out their frustrations on the promo girls; I was shaking my head. Regardless of what lenses you wear, your first encounters with wearing lenses will be a little uncomfortable. It takes time to get used to them on, and it takes some time to get used to getting them on and off. It’s my personal opinion that these lenses are comfortable, but I speak with 4 years of experiences of trying out all sorts of Korean and Japanese lenses. Each person’s experiences and journeys will be different. Always be in contact with your optometrist in order for you to find out what counts as a normal break in period and what counts as an actual problem. 

Beauty Effect: There is a reason why Freshlook and AirOptix are the go-to celebrity lenses. When it comes to beauty effect, this is the same as Freshlook as the shades are more or less the same, with AirOptix just having a few less shades. But in general, it’s really just so natural that it looks like changing your eye color without looking like you’re trying. I like that these tricolor lenses don’t have those rims, and instead are just very beautifully strategized pigments that accurately emulate the look of a real iris. It feels genuine and authentic in real life. I’ve found myself being able to sport these lenses and carry on my usual errands because they’re not artificially conspicuous. That is especially true for this very subtle shade. 

After trying several shades from the Alcon family, I really get what they mean that each shade has such a profound effect on one’s overall look. You can wear lenses from this same brand, but in a different shade, and see drastically different results. They create subtle and strong shades, meaning some shades are meant to give a bold transformation while some shades will give a subtle enhancement. It’s up to you to choose which shade to get. 

Value For Money: This is Php1495 for a pair of1-month lenses, available at

Shopee

. I know upfront that it’s really pricey relative to the time frame that it can be used. Freshlook is already pricey, and then this is even pricier. But one thing I can say is that these lenses,  like Freshlook, are usable for the whole period they are advertised to be usable. You see, lenses often start to go “bad” waaay before the advertised date. If you own 1-year lenses, they can start to feel sore to use in just 3-4 months. 2 week lenses can start to feel sore on the 5th day. This, thus far, never feels sore from day 1 to 30, and that’s something I really like. The smooth lens technology also means that this was super comfortable to wear from the beginning till the last day. I didn’t have to worry much about debris sticking to this and making it less and less comfortable. Of course, I exerted my best effort to care for these lenses, but it’s nice to know that the lenses are dirt deflecting, too. 

Soo now that that’s done, here are photos of the box for those who may need the information. I think the ‘FOR DAILY WEAR ONLY’ is there because there are AirOptix lenses that can be worn to sleep. These lenses in specific must not be worn to sleep and must be removed at the end of each day, or to be specific, it should be removed whenever one is sleeping. 

This is how the lenses look like against a black background. 

To show the contrast, this is me with one eye wearing the lens. These lenses are more on the darker colored side, which is why they end up looking natural. In real life, I look like my eyes are a bit more expressive, but the color is subtle enough that it emulates my natural eye color.

And this is how it looks like from afar. I think it’s more apparent here that it’s darker colored and is not very striking or bold. It’s just meant for subtle enhancement. I think this is good for people who are doing very strict corporate work where anything “wild” (i.e. crazy hair color, crazy nail color, crazy colored lenses) is frowned upon.