Table of Contents
- Water gradient = increased comfort
- SmarTears Technology and high lubricity
- Powers, availability and more
- Does Dailies Total 1 have a lens for astigmatism?
- Does Dailies Total 1 have a lens for presbyopia?
- What people are saying…
- Is Dailies Total 1 right for you?
- How much does Dailies Total 1 cost?
- How does Dailies Total 1 compare to other contact lenses?
- Final thoughts
Do you experience frequent dryness or discomfort while wearing your contacts? Are you looking for a premium daily lens option that was uniquely designed for maximum comfort? If so, I highly recommend trying Alcon’s Dailies Total 1 contact lens!
RELATED: Learn About the Best Contact Lenses Currently Available
Water gradient = increased comfort
To start, Dailies Total 1 was first released to the US market in 2013. This product is unique because it’s the first-ever water gradient contact lens!
At its silicone hydrogel core, the lens is made up of 33% water content. Its water-repelling (i.e. hydrophobic) design allows it to provide the front of your eye with superior breathability (i.e. oxygen transmissibility). In fact, Dailies Total 1 has the highest oxygen transmissibility of any daily disposable lens on the market!
On the other hand, its surface is designed to be water-loving (i.e. hydrophilic) and is made up of 80% water content – matching the corneal surface it sits on. In fact, Dailies Total 1 approaches 100% water content at the very front and back of the lens! Overall, this design provides your eye with a very comfortable and smooth gliding surface that lasts all day.
RELATED: Bausch + Lomb INFUSE Review
SmarTears Technology and high lubricity
Dailies Total 1 also contains SmarTears Technology that features the release of an ingredient found naturally in your tears. As a result, it helps stabilize your eye’s tear film and keeps you comfortable.
Before wearing the lens, it’s important to note the high lubricity (i.e. slipperiness) of this lens can make it difficult to handle. Therefore, I highly recommend you have dry hands when putting in and taking out this lens.
In a nutshell, what does all this jargon mean to you? White, healthy-looking and feeling eyes, all day long!
RELATED: Acuvue Oasys 1-Day Review
Powers, availability and more
Dailies Total 1 is available in powers ranging from -12 to +6. Therefore, it is designed to fit a large range of contact lens wearers. Alcon uses Lightstream manufacturing technology that enables them to create this truly unique, water gradient contact lens.
When fit with Dailies Total 1 by an eye care professional, you’ll receive a trial box that contains 5 contacts for each eye. In fact, Dailies Total 1 even has a free trial offer you can print out and provide your eye doctor.
Once your prescription is finalized, these contact lenses are available for purchase in 30 packs and 90 packs. Also, as noted in the name, they are designed for daily wear and should be thrown away at the end of the day. Therefore, they’re NOT approved to be slept in!
Note: If you plan on taking your daily contact lenses out for a nap or to go swimming, we recommend storing them in Biotrue, RevitaLens, or Opti-free Pure Moist contact lens solutions. For more information on contact lens solutions, check out our complete guide!
RELATED: Precision1 Review
Does Dailies Total 1 have a lens for astigmatism?
Unfortunately, not at this time. However, that doesn’t mean Alcon won’t launch Dailies Total 1 Toric in the near future! Stay tuned.
Does Dailies Total 1 have a lens for presbyopia?
Yes! Dailies Total 1 Multifocal is a multifocal contact lens designed to correct presbyopia. It has a center near, Precision Profile Design that is designed to provide you with seamless vision at distance, intermediate, and near. Plus, patients who love the comfort of Dailies Total 1 transition nicely into this lens once they hit their early 40s.
What people are saying…
From Alcon
- 9 out of 10 patients agree Dailies Total 1 contact lenses are so comfortable they don’t feel like anything!
- 13:1 patients preferred Dailies Total 1 to their old lenses.
- More than 9 out of 10 patients were satisfied with Dailies Total 1 contact lenses.
From our eye care team
I think this lens is a game changer! It’s literally one of the first lenses I can put in my eyes and not feel it. Also, it does not get dry at the end of the day. Honestly, I’m a tough critic when it comes to contact lenses. I’ve been wearing them for over 20 years and have tried everything on the market. These lenses are so comfortable that I literally forgot they were in my eyes at the end of the day. – Dr. Rachael Wruble
This lens is a fantastic option for patients looking for more comfort from their contact lenses OR for those suffering from dry eye disease! Also, my presbyopic patients LOVE Dailies Total 1 Multifocal. Outside of this lens being a little tough for some patients to handle, I highly recommend Dailies Total 1 to anyone that is looking for a premium lens option! – Dr. Ryan Corte
Is Dailies Total 1 right for you?
Pros
- Outstanding comfort that lasts all day long.
- A state-of-the-art water gradient lens design.
- Superior breathability keeps your eyes looking and feeling great.
- Available in a well designed multifocal lens.
Cons
- A slick surface that sometimes makes it difficult to put in or take out.
- It comes with a higher price tag (compared to other dailies).
- Not available in a toric (i.e. astigmatism) lens (yet).
RELATED: MyDay Review
How much does Dailies Total 1 cost?
As mentioned above, these lenses aren’t cheap. Before purchasing them, the best place to look is at your eye doctor’s office. However, if you’re looking to price things out from home, consider checking out contact lens retailers online. Right now suggested retail for a 90 pack of lenses is as follows:
- Dailies Total 1 – $101
- Dailies Total 1 Multifocal – $122
How does Dailies Total 1 compare to other contact lenses?
Here are a few articles with videos and information on how Dailies Total 1 compares to other premium daily silicone hydrogel contact lenses:
- Dailies Total 1 vs INFUSE
- Dailies Total 1 vs Acuvue Oasys 1-Day
- Dailies Total 1 vs MyDay
- Dailies Total 1 vs Precision 1
- Dailies Total 1 vs Clariti 1 Day
- Dailies Total 1 vs 1-Day Acuvue TruEye
Final thoughts
If contacts could ever feel luxurious, this would be the lenses to beat! It’s definitely the smoothest and freshest feeling lens that has been released in the past few years. Patient’s love both the spherical and multifocal lens options available (now all they need is a toric option).
Price-wise, compared to other daily lens options, it might be a hard pill to swallow. That being said, a chronic dry eye sufferer or an otherwise contact lens intolerant patient should most definitely try out this lens.
With an 8.5 base curve, I find that this lens fits a wide range of eyeballs! Additionally, I’ve updated my vocabulary to now include the word lubricious thanks to Alcon’s strategic marketing.
Lastly, after speaking with an Alcon representative about the slipperiness of this lens, she recommended a couple of things.
- First, dump the lens out of its packaging into your hand instead of trying to remove it from its packaging.
- Next, make sure your hands are completely dry when putting in and taking out these lenses and do not use hand lotion around the time of doing so.
- If you’re having trouble getting the lenses out, try pulling them to the side of your eye and blinking them out.
Curious if you’re a candidate for wearing Dailies Total 1 contacts? Make sure to schedule an appointment with your local eye care professional today!
What are your thoughts on Dailies Total 1 contacts? Leave your feedback in the comments below!
Dailies Total 1 Review See review
Overall
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Cost
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Comfort
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Health & Safety
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Vision
Summary
Dailies Total 1 has some of the newest contact lens technology and is the most breathable daily lens. If you’re looking for a premium daily contact lens option, it’s hard to do better than Dailies Total 1!
Pros
- Outstanding comfort that lasts all day long.
- A new, state of the art water gradient lens design.
- Superior breathability keeps your eyes looking and feeling great.
- Available in a well designed multifocal lens.
Cons
- A slick surface that sometimes makes it difficult to put in or take out.
- It comes with a higher price tag (compared to other dailies).
- Not available in a toric (i.e. astigmatism) lens yet.
| Dailies Total 1 | Dailies Total 1 Multifocal | |
|---|---|---|
| Year of US market release | 2013 | 2016 |
| Base curve (i.e. curvature of the contact lens) | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Diameter (i.e. width of the contact lens) | 14.1 | 14.1 |
| Powers | +6.00D to -12.00D • +0.50D to +6.00D (in 0.25D steps) • -0.50D to -6.00D (in 0.25D steps) • -6.50D to -12.00D (in 0.50D steps) | +6.00D to -10.00D (in 0.25D steps) |
| Cylinder | n/a | n/a |
| Axis | n/a | n/a |
| Add powers | n/a | Low (Up to +1.25 spectacle add), Medium (+1.50 to +2.00 spectacle add), High (+2.25 to +2.50 spectacle add) |
| Handling tint | Light blue VISITINT | Light blue VISITINT |
| Material | delefilcon A (silicone hydrogel) | delefilcon A (silicone hydrogel) |
| Water content | 33% | 33% |
| Dk/t (i.e. oxygen transmissibility) | 156 @ -3.00 | 156 @ -3.00 |
| Modulus (i.e. stiffness) | 0.76 MPa | 0.76 MPa |
| Center thickness | 0.09mm @ -3.00 | 0.09mm @ -3.00 |
| Technology | Water Gradient Technology, Smart Tears Technology | Water Gradient Technology, Smart Tears Technology, center-near Precision Profile Design |
| Wear type | Daily wear | Daily wear |
| Replacement schedule | Daily (i.e. throw away at the end of the day) | Daily (i.e. throw away at the end of the day) |
| Trials | 5 lenses | 5 lenses |
| Available for purchase | 30 or 90 lens packs | 30 or 90 lens packs |
| Approved to be slept in? | No | No |
| Inside out markings? | No | No |
| Rebate available? | Yes | Yes |
| UV protection? | No | No |
References:
LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP
I have been wearing Alcon Dailies Total 1 for four days now. Since day one I have found them uncomfortable to wear and I believe it may be the solution the lens are in. My tear ducts sting and my eyeballs ache. Other than that, I love the contacts. The multi focal lens are great for reading, computer work and distance like they advertise. I am wondering if its the silicone that I may be having a reaction to. My eyes are not red. If anyone has experienced this and has a suggestion please let me know. Can I rinse the lens before putting them in? Putting them in is easy. Taking them out was hard, but now put my finger on the lens look one way and slide the lens out the other way. Comes right out.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (3) No
Thank you for your feedback, Anne. As one of the most technologically advanced contact lenses on the market for comfort, not many people experience comfort issues with this lens. With this in mind, it’s OK to rinse them off before putting them in (to rule out if the solution is causing an issue). If you’re still experiencing comfort issues after doing so, consider switching to a daily multifocal that is made of only hydrogel (to rule out if you’re experiencing a reaction to the silicone). Hope this helps!
Toric Lens for Astigmatism
My question is why a toric lens doesn’t work for my astigmatism. While I haven’t tried Total 1 toric lens for astigmatism, I have experimented with other brands and I get double vision. Why is this if the lens is intended for astigmatism?
I had my regular exam yesterday. Have been using Aqua Dailies Comfort plus monovision for over 10 years. Yesterday, my eye doctor gave me a Total 1 to try because he was out of Aqua Dailies. I left with one of each brand! I could tell a huge difference in the two. The comfort difference is unquestionable. So is my eyesight! I’ve officially switched brands! I can even read better with Total 1 monovision. That said, monovision isn’t the greatest. Would you brand for astigmatism be any better than the other toric lenses?
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (1) No
Based on the information you’ve provided, you might want to consider Bausch + Lomb’s Ultra Multifocal for Astigmatism. The lens is designed to correct for presbyopia and astigmatism – both of which it sounds like you have. Since you’ve been wearing monovision, it might take some time to adapt to but would be the best soft contact lens option for your visual demands.
Is the lack of UV protection a concern? Should sunglasses be worn outside at all times, including in overcast weather? Or should patients first try a lens with UV protection such as Acuvue 1-Day Moist?
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (2) No
Honestly, there are a number of great daily lenses with UV protection that are still comfortable that you can consider (Biotrue ONEday, Acuvue 1-Day Moist, etc.). With this in mind, Dailies Total1 is a premium lens option that has demonstrated superior comfort. If that is your main concern, go with Dailies Total1 or Acuvue Oasys 1-Day. In general, it’s best to wear sunglasses while outdoors, as contact lenses don’t cover the entire eye and surrounding areas.
General comments (also some comments on DT1 itself)
Hi Dr. Corte – for the person wondering if the packaging saline was causing her the stinging sensation, would it also be appropriate for her to run them through a cycle of Clear Care?
The reason I ask is, I’m a Night & Day continuous wear user. When Alcon (then CIBA Vision) started putting the copolymer comfort agent in the packaging saline for N&D and other Air Optix brand products, I noticed with the first pair that my eyes reacted badly (gummy, lots of mucous production). Since then, each month I put the new pair through Clear Care the night before I’m ready to switch, and it has resolved the issue. The one exception being recent travel where, unplanned, I had to switch out a pair so they didn’t get the Clear Care routine, and I woke up to the same problem.
Also, while I recognize this is just one data point, I have doubts whether the silicone could be her issue. My wife kept developing CLPC with Air Optix and other makers’ SiHy lenses (no need to name names) so our O.D. would put her in glasses until the CLPC subsided then try a different SiHy lens, but the CLPC would return. So it appear to our O.D. that she is pretty sensitive to silicone and she had to go back to an old HEMA lens which had good insertion comfort but was pretty bad by end-of-day, and of course low oxygen permeability. Once DT1 came out our O.D. fitted her with them and did frequent rechecks for a couple of weeks just in case, but no papillary conjunctivitis with this lens and she’s been wearing them with no issues now for years.
Like I said, just one data point. But it got me wondering so I did some searching and found published papers (by Alcon, so take it with a grain of salt of course) indicating surface analysis is completely absent of silicone.
My kids all wear and like DT1 and I’ve tried them and thought they were fine, but for me the convenience of using N&D as a CW lens is the best fit. I give it 4/5 rating only because of the cost consideration – with 5 family members wearing it at about $1/day/eye, that really stacks up.
Thanks for all the information you and Dr. Wong provide here!
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (1) No
Honestly, I wouldn’t run a daily lens through a cycle of Clear Care before wear, Johann. The lenses are FDA approved for a daily wear schedule and Alcon doesn’t provide any data supporting that the lens would hold up well after being treated in a hydrogen peroxide cleaning solution. An alternative solution to consider is to rinse the lens off with a preservative-free saline solution before insertion.
So comfortable but a pain to remove
I love the Total 1 dailies but they are really hard to remove. They seem to ‘stick’ to my eyeball. Sometimes I can’t even get them to slide to the side, they just seem stuck to the centre of my eyeball. I have tried using drops a few minutes prior to removal and that can make a little difference sometimes but sometimes it is just me scraping away trying to get the things out. I see online that this is a common issue, any more tips?
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Thank you for your feedback, Anrol. Yes, this is a common complaint. Make sure your hands are completely dry when putting in and taking out these lenses and do not use hand lotion around the time of doing so. This should help with insertion and removal of the lens.
great lenses!
@anrol: when this happens, I usually take a shower, and they come out much easier for some reason after I do!
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Thank you for sharing, Peter.
Good for Astigmatism
I have astigmatism and these work fine for me. The doctor who prescribed these for me was aware of my astigmatism and recommended them – it does not however, correct the astigmatism. At this point I dont think anything does, maybe laser
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FYI – Dailies Total 1 will likely be coming out with a lens for astigmatism in the near future.
Multifocal power not high enough
I’m wearing multifocals. My script is -7 plus the +2.50 for reading. However, i really need more than +2.50. Why don’t they make it in a higher level than +2.50? Changing the distance part of the lens was not good for me. I don’t want my distance vision to suffer. They need to make -4.0 or something closer. The lenses were notably much harder to remove.
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