for your
health
inside costco
New lens material
clearly a winner
California, warehouse. “We promote that lens yields a comfortable, enhanced lens-material because of the health benefits to the wearing experience.
cornea. Also, this lens material has less of a “The new lenses stay in place bet-
dryness problem, providing greater comfort.” ter, they’re more comfortable and I can Silicone hydrogel lenses deliver a healthy
HERE’S SOME GOOD news for contact lens Hydrogel by itself retains water
wearers: A new lens material not only pro- well, but it is not a permeable material,
motes eye health, it also makes extended wear so no oxygen can travel through an alla comfortable experience. Silicone hydrogel is hydrogel lens.
the lens material, and Costco Optical carries The combination of silicone and
several brands of these lenses. hydrogel capitalizes on the best of both
“These new lenses have been extremely materials. Oxygen flow to the eye
well received,” says Gabe Toborda, Costco surface is several times higher than
Optical Center manager at the Yorba Linda, with earlier materials, plus no dryness
PHOTODISC
The cornea, or surface of the eye, requires wear them longer during the day with- and comfortable contact lens experience.
a steady supply of oxygen to maintain func- out my eyes feeling tired,” says Costco
tionality. Silicone hydrogel is a permeable member Candace Fonteyne. “With the older she learned about the new lens material.
material,sooxygencantravelthroughthelens. lens material, toward the end of the day I “The Optical Center manager told me
Silicone and hydrogel have been used would feel the lenses slipping and my eyes about a more comfortable new lens that I
separately in recent lens designs, but without would feel tired. With the new ones, I can could wear for 30 days, and that I would have
good results. Silicone alone has high oxygen leave them in for 12 or 14 hours and never less of a problem with dryness,” she says. “I’ve
permeability, but because it repels water, sili- know I have them on.” used them for a couple of months and they
cone lenses dry out the eyes too much and are Another Costco member, Marian Shaker, are great. Everything I was told about these
uncomfortable for extended wear. had been using contacts for six years when lenses was true.”—David Wight
The Costco Connection
Check the Member Services grid on page 63
for the Costco Hearing and Optical Centers
closest to you. You will also find a complete
list of Hearing Centers in the Resource section of the Online Edition. Visit costco.com
and click on “Costco magazine.”
COURTESY OF BERNAFON
much more balanced and pleasing effect.
Costco member John Rice describes an
often-heard scenario. “After years of missing
out on conversations and walking past the
Costco Hearing Center, I reluctantly went in
for the testing just to find out how bad the
problem was,” he tells The Connection.
Open fit a hit Open-fit hearing aids After the test, the technician pro-
enhance sounds without grammed the hearing aids and let Rice walk
blocking the ear canal. around the warehouse with them in place.
“No molds, no waiting,” Rice says. “It was like
HEARING LOSS is a major problem for many Traditional hearing aids block the ear getting my first glasses and discovering the
people and often goes untreated because of canal and change the way a user’s own voice leaves on the trees.”
misconceptions about the difficulty of using sounds. This “occlusion effect” is easy to sim- He continues, “There was so much I had
hearing aids or out of vanity—not wanting ulate. Try cupping your hands over your ears been missing, and in only 45 minutes I had
the problem revealed to everyone. and speaking. Many people with mild to mod- solved a hearing problem. And no one has
But for those with mild to moderate erate hearing loss cannot tolerate this effect. ever noticed I was wearing hearing aids until
hearing loss, new technology has provided an Open-fit aids sit unobtrusively behind I pointed them out.”
acceptable solution via open-fit hearing aids. the ear with just a thin clear tube running into The difference can be just as easily
Rapid adoption of this alternative indicates a the ear, with no blockage of the canal. Natural demonstrated to you or someone you know
real breakthrough. and amplified sounds enter the ear canal for a who has a hearing problem.—DW
