GEO Magic Color HC-101 Violet + Lens Care

Hey guys! Whooo! Last post I mentioned that part of my prize from Celline's contest was a pair of soft contact Lenses from the wonderful Dull to Doll online shop. This post is a rundown on the product, and a few tips for preparing and caring for them, as well as the scientific basis behind them. *tips glasses, I am such a nerd*

I'm not a stranger to contact lenses - I've worn contact lenses as a prescription for my near-sightedness and astigmatism since my 4th year of high school (although I've been sticking to just my glasses recently). But I never really got into the colored contact lens fad. I did however, appreciate it thoroughly in Japanese magazines and blogs when all these cute girls pulled off such large-eyed dolly looks. As popular as these looks are among Japanese and Korean women I can't help but wish it could be the same in the Philippines hahaha. While the use of circle lenses, colored lenses, etc is a growing trend, I never really had the courage to try wearing lenses as a fashion statement, but secretly, I wanted to try it haha.

So there. I've said it. I am a colored/circle/fashion lens virgin. Pass your judgment upon me, do it, but at least I can say that I have fulfilled one of my secret wishes with this post haha.

Product Description

The lenses that were sent to me were from GEO Magic Color Series - Hurricane HC-101 Violet. The GEO Magic Color Series in Hurricane comes at a diameter of 14 mm, perfect, apparently, for people who are just starting out with lenses. My normal lenses are 13 mm so one millimeter wasn't a daunting feat. I've seen lenses out there with larger diameter (even 16.5 o_o) not sure if I can handle those. The base curve of these lenses is 8.60. My usual lenses have different base curves, my right being larger than the left (which is normal), so I was worried about an uncomfortable fit on my right eye and at worst, the lenses coming off because they just wouldn't fit. The good thing about these lenses, however is that they're 38% water, a normal to relatively high percentage which make the soft lenses more adaptable to your eye by increasing cohesion by surface tension. The higher the percent water, the softer the lens, and supposedly the more comfortable the fit. This lens came in PLANO (no grade), but I hear you can pre-order graded lenses accordingly.

Packaging and authentication

The lenses came to me in vials. While there are still a few distributors that sell their GEO contacts in blister packages, there has been stigma against them because almost all production of lenses in blister packs has been ceased, begging one to speculate that those still going around are fake. Be warned! GEO lenses come with an authenticity code which you can check at either one of these sites: www.geo21eye.com (for lenses in Korea) or www.fw1860.com (for those distributed elsewhere). There are fake authenticity check sites out there for fake distributors who have their own database of codes, so always check those out as well. For more tips against false lenses, this is a good source: http://twinklebeautyy.blogspot.com/2010/01/fake-geo-lenses.html

Needless to say, I didn't have any problems with these lenses and the codes checked out, so yay! It's not always bad to be paranoid once in a while haha

People may have trouble opening vialed lenses, but if you've been dealing with normal medicinal vials, this shouldn't be too different. For those who still need a bit of help however, this video is quite useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iad2JdZQH4c This is especially of note if you have long brittle nails. Beware. These vials can be your worst enemy haha.

Preparing your Lenses

Aren't they just beautiful? They're such a shocking color and the design, though it looks pixelated at first, really brings itself out when worn. Before you can do so however, there are a few steps you may need to take to prepare your lenses for wearing.

I say 'may' because I've trained myself strictly with my prescription lenses and I'm basing my routine off my optometrist's advice. There are less strict regimens out there for lens care and cleaning, but I like to stick to what I know.

It is of general practice and general recommendation that you let your lenses soak for at least 6 hours  in your own lens solution after taking them out of the vials. This is because the saline in the vials was designed for storage and not wear. And while you may not necessarily go blind if you wear them directly from the vials, they may be uncomfortable because lenses are not fully hydrated in the concentrated saline in the vials. In other words, the amount of water in the saline in vials is less than what should be when worn on the eyes.

What I do is I take my lenses out of the vials using plastic tweezers and into this special lens case/neutralization apparatus recommended to me by my optometrists - AOSEPT Plus Cleaning system. I've been using this product and method since high school and I have yet to come upon an eye infection or any irritation.

This case has two compartments, each labeled left and right for each lens. It works because the original solution is acidic whereas the lens case contains a neutralizer metal the catalyzes with the solution to make it saline. What I like about this is that as the reaction proceeds, gas is released and the bubbles that float upward help clean the lenses by dislodging dirt particles, while the originally acidic conditions remove contaminants and the saline that results keeps it sterile. I also prefer this to pre-prepared multi-purpose saline solutions because in those solutions there are chances that the salt can precipitate out of the solution over time, causing abrasion and loss of sterility of your solution. But if the saline is created on the spot, you can be guaranteed that your saline is fresh.

The lenses can be stored in the resulting saline for 14 days, just like in normal multi-purpose saline and are otherwise ready to wear from there. You can also transfer the resulting saline into a different container of choice if you want to bring your lenses out or store them somewhere else. I highly recommend this cleaning system, but you as I am aware, you can only get it through a licensed optometrist here in the Philippines, or you can try searching for it online.

Note: Not all types of solution are appropriate for storage, cleaning and then wear. Some solutions are only for storage, some only for cleaning, and some only for washing before wear. Read the bottle carefully before choosing your own solution.

After soaking for at least 6 hours (I prefer overnight), the lenses should be ready to wear. I wanted to make a tutorial on how to wear lenses, but it was extremely difficult. For tips, there are hundreds of videos on the topic online hahaha.

Beginner tip: If this is your first time wearing lenses EVER. Exercise your eyes by first wearing your lenses for 1 hour on the first day, 2 hours on the next day, then 4 on the next, and finally 8 hours. This will help your eyes get accustomed to the feeling, lessen irritation and make wearing lenses a better experience in general. It's not recommended to wear your lenses more than 8 hours a day. Also, allot even just one day a week for your eyes to rest, and don't skimp on the eye drops (only use drops that are appropriate for lenses though, and don't use your multi-purpose solution as eye drops, that's just wrong).

The Lenses
Now that the boring part is done, we can finally get to wearing the lenses! This was really exciting for me (don't judge me, I have shallow joys). I tried putting on one lens first just to see how much different one eye looked from the other and wow, was I surprised. So surprised, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture *facepalm* But I'm pretty sure you can tell even without the side by side comparison how much different my eyes look below.

These lenses are supposedly only color lenses at 14 mm diameter, but despite that still have a slight enlarging effect. It's perfect for beginners because it's really comfortable and easy to wear, and not too unnatural looking where enlargement is concerned. The color, however, is a little striking, especially with flash and under harsh lighting. I finally realized my dream of being an anime character for a few hours haha.

I wouldn't mind wearing these lenses out to a party, but I don't think I could wear this everyday, considering also that these are plano and my actual lens grade is -1.25 for both eyes. They are really pretty though and they deserve some camwhoring :P

My eyes will bore into your soul.

I was planning on doing a dolly look but didn't have time to cut and prepare my lashes. You guys will have to wait for a different post on that and just deal with this pseudo-creepy-anime look for a while hahaha.

Whew! That was a long post. So I hope you guys enjoyed this run-through of my lens care routine and my virgin experience with non-prescription lenses hahaha. I'm sure most are laughing at my shallowness.

If you're looking to find good quality and collection of circle lenses, color lenses, costume lenses, etc here in the Philippines, why not try out Dull to Doll? Visit and like their facebook page by clicking the image below.

Ada, signing out.