Dailies Total 1 introduced the water gradient lens and is still the benchmark other premium dailies are measured against. It is also among the most expensive lenses you can wear by the year, which deserves an honest accounting rather than a shrug.
The technology
The material is delefilcon A. The core is silicone hydrogel at about 33% water; the surface rises progressively to near 100% water.
That design resolves an old contradiction. Silicone carries oxygen well but repels water. Water is comfortable but carries little oxygen. The gradient puts silicone where oxygen is needed — the centre — and something almost aqueous where friction happens, at the surface.
What it produces:
- Dk/t around 156
- One of the lowest coefficients of friction published for a soft lens
- Daily replacement, so no case and no solution
Where you notice it
Not in the morning. Almost any decent daily feels fine at 9am.
You notice it from about hour ten onward, which is when accumulated friction and dehydration start to tell. That makes the natural candidates people with long days: twelve-hour shifts, flights, full days on screens, or mild dry eye where the goal is finishing the day in lenses at all.
The family
- Dailies Total 1 — spherical
- Dailies Total 1 for Astigmatism — the toric, stabilised by ballast. It arrived years after the spherical version, which is the usual pattern
- Dailies Total 1 Multifocal — for presbyopia, using Alcon’s simultaneous-vision design
If you have astigmatism, the standing caveat applies: daily toric ranges are narrower than monthly ones, and your particular cylinder and axis may not exist in this family. See toric lenses.
The cost, stated plainly
A year of premium dailies costs substantially more than a year of monthlies, even counting solution. That is simply true.
What the money buys:
- No case — the single most common source of contamination in lens wearers
- A sterile lens every morning, with no deposits carried over
- Removal of the routine that most people are imperfect about
Before dismissing it on price, check two things. Annual-supply rebates on this category are substantial, and FSA or HSA funds cover lenses as an eligible expense. The real gap against a monthly is usually smaller than the list price suggests. Compare at current prices.
Against the alternatives
Its direct rival is Acuvue Oasys 1-Day. Simplifying: Dailies Total 1 attacks friction and has the higher Dk/t; Oasys 1-Day attacks tear film stability and generally offers a wider parameter range, particularly in toric.
A step down in price sits Precision1, Alcon’s mid-tier silicone hydrogel daily — usually the better value if the premium tier is out of budget. Further down again are conventional hydrogel dailies like Dailies AquaComfort Plus, which cost much less and transmit far less oxygen.
See the Alcon range and the brand comparison.
How to test it properly
Comfort is not predictable from a specification because it depends on your tear film. Ask for trial lenses and wear them for a full ordinary day. That is the only test that settles it.
Sources
- Alcon technical specifications for Dailies Total 1 (delefilcon A)
- Published coefficient-of-friction and end-of-day comfort data
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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