Can we still blame COVID for supply chain issues? Or now, are we just down to manufacturer incompetence? Because there are various contact lens product shortages happening. And it’s seriously annoying.
For those of you who don’t wear contacts, you can close out your browser tab right now. OK, for the rest of you, what the hell is going on? I’ve been hunting high and low for two products- Clear Care travel size and Bausch and Lomb Sensitive Eyes Daily Cleanser- and I haven’t been able to find them for months.
Alcon- the manufacturer of Clear Care- doesn’t mention a thing about this. There are some mentions of this issue on reddit. There’s the outrageous pricing on eBay. There’s something going on- and I’m tired of it. Lots of people use this product; lots of people are traveling. And lots of people carry their bags on the plane. So yes, it’s a problem.
Some (sort of) substitutes
First off, I’m not an opthamologist. I’m sure that’s pretty clear at this point, but it bears repeating. But here’s my amateur attempt at proposing some substitutes for the hard-to-find items.
Biotrue Contact Lens Solution
At least you can find the travel sizes in this product. They claim that it “disinfects” on the bottle, so it’s better than just using saline. That said, I miss the hydrogen peroxide of Clear Care. So I’m pairing this with some daily cleaner (see below.)
Biotrue Contact Lens Solution, 4 pack of 2oz. bottles
Renu Multi-Purpose Solution
Then there’s Renu- again, it claims to “disinfect 99.9% of germs” but probably does nothing for protein deposits. Still, you can find it at amazon, so that’s a plus.
Buy Sensitive Eyes Daily Cleaner from an unknown website
I’m not a huge fan of this option- but this is where we are. I’m considering buying from this site. Never heard of it. Tad bit concerned. But here we go…
Other solutions (get it? (contact lens) solutions?? :))
OK, I acknowledge that there are a couple of other solutions.
- Check my bag with a full 12 oz size of Clear Care
- Buy a full sized Clear Care at my destination and chuck it before getting back on the plane home
- Use the expired daily cleanser in my gym bag
- Ask my optometrist for some samples
- Wear my glasses!
Just not loving any of these options. And yes, these are first world problems. But my plea to Alcon and Bausch and Lomb is- get your act together!
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