Dailies AquaComfort Plus is Alcon’s entry-level daily, and the difference that matters is not the price — it is the material. This is conventional hydrogel, not silicone hydrogel, and that decides how many hours it is good for.
What it is
The material is nelfilcon A, a hydrogel derived from polyvinyl alcohol, at about 69% water with a Dk/t around 26.
That 26 is the number to hold onto. A silicone hydrogel daily like Dailies Total 1 runs about 156; Acuvue Oasys 1-Day about 121. That is a severalfold difference in oxygen reaching your cornea.
This does not make it a bad lens. It makes it a lens with a different job.
The wetting technology
AquaComfort Plus carries three wetting agents released on blinking — one on opening the blister, one during wear, and one sustained through the day.
It works, and it is why the lens feels comfortable despite the material. What it does not do is increase oxygen transmission. Comfort and oxygen are separate problems, and only one of them is solved here.
Where it makes sense
- Part-time wear — weekend sport, evenings out, occasions
- Days of eight hours or less
- Wanting the hygiene advantages of a daily on a tight budget
- A first trial of contact lenses, before you know whether you will wear them daily — see first-time wear
- Anyone who reacts to solution preservatives, since no daily uses solution at all
Where it does not
- Twelve to sixteen hour days. This is where the oxygen gap becomes real rather than theoretical.
- Strong prescriptions — a thicker lens drops the effective Dk/t further still
- Established dry eye — high water content sounds helpful but dehydrates faster against dry air, which is counterintuitive and well documented in the materials comparison
- Anyone with a history of corneal neovascularisation or other signs of hypoxia
Where it sits in Alcon’s daily range
Three tiers:
- Dailies AquaComfort Plus — hydrogel, cheapest
- Precision1 — silicone hydrogel, middle tier
- Dailies Total 1 — water gradient, premium
If you are choosing AquaComfort Plus on price but wearing lenses twelve hours a day, Precision1 is the upgrade worth making. It is silicone hydrogel at a price much closer to the entry tier than to the premium one — the best value jump in the range. See the Alcon lineup.
Toric and multifocal versions exist
Dailies AquaComfort Plus Toric covers astigmatism within the same material and price position, and there is a multifocal for presbyopia. As always with daily torics, the range of cylinders and axes is narrower than in monthlies, so your exact prescription may not be available.
One rule with less margin than usual
Daily means daily. With a lens at Dk/t 26, wearing it a second day has a much smaller safety margin than doing the same with a silicone hydrogel — and sleeping in one is never acceptable. See sleeping in contacts.
Sources
- Alcon technical specifications for Dailies AquaComfort Plus (nelfilcon A)
- Literature on oxygen transmissibility and corneal requirements in daily wear
We are not affiliated with Alcon. General information, not a substitute for a fitting. Reviewed by Dr. Teresita Bollar, OD.
What this lens costs right now
Per box of 90. Checked 23 August 2026. See every lens →
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