LensPriceCompare Blog

Contact lenses might seem like an unnecessary expense for someone who has been wearing eyeglasses as their main vision correction method.  However, contact lenses can allow you a lot of freedom once you have decided to switch from glasses to this method of vision correction.  But contact lenses are not particularly cheap—especially if you check out the prices at the eye doctor’s office or an optical supplies store.  A great place to find cheap contact lenses is over the Internet, but there are a lot of people who are apprehensive about such online transactions.  Even if there are a lot of establishments offering online shopping services, buying cheap contact lenses online can still get tricky—especially when you consider that there are a lot of frauds out there.  Here are a few tips to ensure that buying cheap contact lenses online will be a safe transaction for you:

• Always make sure that the seller you are buying from is asking you to provide them with a valid prescription all the time.  It is illegal to sell a medical device such as contact lenses without a prescription, especially when you intend to use these lenses for vision correction.
• There are a lot of cheap contact lenses online, but make sure that you know the price from the eye doctor’s office or the optical supplies store.  If the prices are too good to be true, they probably are.
• When entering into a transaction to buy cheap contact lenses online, make sure that the address of the page begins with https:// and not http://.  The additional “s” means that the connection is secure and will not endanger your credit card information.
• Make sure that the seller you wish to buy cheap contact lenses online from only distributes original products—you do not want to endanger your eyes with fake contact lenses.

Buying contact lenses online is a good idea for people who value their time, effort, and money.  You will only have to log in on the Internet, purchase the contact lenses with your credit card, and wait for the package to be delivered to your door.  Compared to the regular method of getting your vision prescriptions filled, buying contact lenses online is a lot more convenient and will save you plenty of time.  But not a lot of people are familiar with the process of buying contact lenses online.  Many would also think that it is not safe and a bit impersonal.  Here is a short step-by-step guide on buying contact lenses online.

• First, secure a valid prescription with your eye doctor.  The doctor might update your prescription or not, but always make sure that you have a current prescription when buying contact lenses online.  Reputable online sellers of contact lenses will require your prescription before they sell you anything.
• To get better value when buying contact lenses online, go to a price comparison site first.  Not only will you save more time browsing through different listings of contact lenses, you will also be able to really compare the prices of the different sellers in just one page.
• Make sure that the contact lenses you are ordering will match your prescription to the very last detail, including the size of your eyes.  You do not want to pay for something that you will not be able to use.
• Check if the online seller you wish to buy from charges shipping and handling fees.  Sometimes, the shipping and handling fees are not included in the list price; so make sure that you know this information before paying for the items.
• Check the delivery dates to make sure that they match your needs.

Most of the debate that surrounds purchasing contact lenses on the Internet or having them shipped by mail has to do with the cost.  Of course, you will find that in most cases, you are going to pay less for contacts that are purchased this way.  If you think about it, this is just the beginning of the benefit.

Every time you go to one of the big retail optical chains to get your contact lenses, something can go wrong.  If the trip goes perfectly smoothly, it costs you a fair amount of time and also is going to set you back in terms of transportation costs.

That alone would be enough reason to sit comfortably in your home at the computer and order contacts by mail.  It generally only takes a few minutes and you don’t even have to put on a pair of shoes if you don’t want to.

When it can really end up costing you is the situation where you go to the retail store and something goes wrong.  It can be something major like an automobile accident (not that likely) or finding out that they don’t have the stock or variety that you’re looking for (now getting a little more probable).

Maybe you end up getting stuck in traffic and missing the closing time of the store.  Instead of rushing, you can leisurely make a beverage and sit down at the computer to start shopping.  You can take as much or as little time as you want and you can do this at any time of day.  Whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, you can take advantage of the stores that are open all the time.  What’s even better about doing it this way is the fact that as noted, you will generally spend less than you would retail.

When you are shopping for contact lenses, it’s a good idea to try and find the best price you can.  At the same time, you shouldn’t be taking chances with your eyes.  If you end up with irritation or damage, it can be something that lasts a lifetime.

There are few different ways that you can get contacts at very low prices and still get the quality brands that you trust.  Going for some of the bigger names in the industry like CooperVision, CibaVision, Johnson & Johnson or Bausch & Lomb is definitely wise.  That’s not an exhaustive list, but they will probably fall into the conversation that you have with an eye care professional about the best quality lenses.

Some people prefer to get contacts directly from the person who is doing their prescription.  Obviously, they get all of the information available to industry professionals and you’ll know what is going to work best for you.  It’s also important to discuss your lifestyle with them as your prescription and the shape of your eyes are not the only considerations.

Once you have a stable prescription and you can purchase in larger quantities, this opens up the possibility of lower prices.  If you are comfortable shopping on the Internet, you’ll find that you can usually get the best price there.  A comparison website can show you many of the different online retailers at once and have them compete with one another.

Look for additional savings that can be found on some websites.  Shipping can often be a major consideration, particularly if you are not buying in larger quantities.  You can sometimes find free shipping as an incentive, and you can also take advantage of coupon codes that websites will offer.  Simply typing in a few numbers will potentially save you significant amounts of money when you get contacts, especially if you are buying a few boxes.

Some people will simply purchase their contact lenses and not give much thought to whether or not they can get a better deal somewhere else.  If you have consistently purchased from your eye care professional, it’s very likely that you have paid more than you need to.

There’s a certain comfort level that comes from purchasing from the person who does your prescription.  It’s also fairly convenient.  You may want to start with this when you are first getting contact lenses, but when you start to compare your contacts price against what is available, you will soon realize that you can save some money.

Going to one of the large retail chains usually won’t get you the cheapest price.  You can rely on good service when you go there in most cases, but you will be paying additional for it.  There are certain places that have retail locations which will have fairly good prices.  Some of the stores that require annual memberships and sell in very large volumes will be able to purchase enough contact lenses to be quite competitive.

For the most part, the cheapest prices are found online, when you compare the contacts price for most online retailers, you’ll find that their lack of overhead will translate into a better deal.  There is also something to be said for the convenience of this method.

Not all prices online are the same.  When you look at a comparison website, you’ll immediately see that the prices for the exact same pair of contact lenses can vary.  A retailer that offers a certain brand at the lowest price by not be able to offer all of them cheaper than its competitors.  That’s why the comparison is so valuable.

Paying more than you need to would not be a good idea when you are purchasing something like your contacts.  The costs can really add up over time.