The lenses are running out: that’s why – and these are the alternatives

Whether at opticians or online stores, the answer is always the same: “Currently unavailable”. For months there has been a problem with refilling the lens solution Aosept from the Alcon group. And there is no end to the delivery problems. The warehouses have now also been used up and the remaining stocks have run out.

On request, Alcon confirms the problems with the lens solution Aosept, which is manufactured in its own factory in the US: in particular, there is currently a lack of materials for manufacturing the lid of the lens case, as Alcon spokeswoman Cara Jones Faye explains . This is due to the interruptions in global supply chains.

The next delivery date is unknown

Aosept is a one-step care system based on a peroxide solution. The contact lenses are placed overnight in the peroxide, cleaned and disinfected. After a few hours, the caustic liquid will neutralize so that the lenses can be put back in. The Alcon system works with a special lens case with a star-shaped platinum insert, so the group cannot simply switch to a standard case here.

Because care products with peroxide contain no preservatives, they are especially popular with allergy sufferers and people with sensitive eyes. Online retailers such as Discountlens now recommend Easysept from the American company Bausch & Lomb as a replacement for Aosept. With Futuro Monosept, the Thurgauer company Conil also offers a peroxide solution that works with a platinum star. There are also one-step care systems where you have to add a tablet to neutralize.

Daily lens wearers do not need any cleaning agents at all. And there are more and more: the market share of daily lenses has grown steadily in recent years and now exceeds 50 percent across Europe, according to a 2021 survey by the European association of lens manufacturers Euromcontact. can be disposed of after use will probably play a crucial role.

Alcon is one of the 20 most valuable Swiss companies

Alcon spokeswoman Jones Faye can’t say exactly when Aosept will be available again. The group expects the production situation to “gradually improve” from the second quarter of 2023. Actually from now on. But for now, the real and virtual shelves will remain empty.

The $9 billion group Alcon, specializing in eye surgery and eye care products, is listed on the Swiss stock exchange and is one of the SMI club of the country’s 20 most valuable publicly traded companies. The company was originally founded in 1945 in the US by two pharmacists. In 1977 it was acquired by the food company Nestlé, which entered the pharmaceutical industry.

In 2002, Nestlé took part of the Alcon shares public, where Novartis struck and eventually took over the eye specialist completely. But not for long either: in 2019 Novartis brought Alcon back to the stock exchange. Since the spin-off, Alcon has grown sales by an average of 5.5 percent per year – despite the corona-related slump in the contact lens business and supply chain issues. (aargauerzeitung.ch)