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Discount Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are tiny, thin soft plastic lenses that are worn on the surface of the eye to correct refractive errors and improve overall vision.
If you’re one of the estimated 45 million Americans who wear contact lenses, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you have millions of options to choose from, especially now that new online stores continue to pop up. 1] at a glance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Checked 08/01/22. .
To clarify, Forbes Health has compiled the best places to order contacts online. The editorial team evaluated over 30 sites in the market based on cost, product availability, customer support, and other characteristics. Here is the best choice.
Note. Stars are assigned only by the editors. Prices are based on the lowest available option, are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Zocdoc helps you find and book the best doctors on demand. Visit them in the office or video chat with them from home. Check with an eye doctor in your area.
Among the online stores analyzed, Discount Contacts offers the largest variety of contact lenses, including colored contact lenses, as well as eyeglass options. In addition, Discount Contacts offers new patients a free consultation or vision test, the only company in our ranking to offer such an offer. Customers can use the site to upload their prescriptions or ask the company to contact their ophthalmologist directly to verify the required information.
Warby Parker ranks #1 in customer support rankings because it connects users with local vision specialists, offers real-time customer service, accepts returns and exchanges, has a mobile app, and offers multiple ways to get in touch. While the company doesn’t offer a free initial consultation, it does connect shoppers with local specialists for eye exams, offer real-time customer service, and offer a mobile app for use on the go. To place an order, customers only need to provide an image of an official contact lens prescription or prescription cost, preferred brand of lenses, and physician contact information. New buyers or individuals in need of fittings can also browse the website for several stores where a full check can be made. The site also has a virtual vision test on iOS to help eligible customers renew their expired subscription.
Discount Contacts has the largest number of contact lens brands, while 1800Contacts has the largest number of lens types (such as bottles, soft lenses, multifocals, bifocals, and toric contact lenses for astigmatism). It also provides disposable contacts. Also, if you need a specific order for different brands in each eye, the site makes it easy to place an order based on those parameters. The company also offers flexible return and exchange options for those who need to send something back.
Those looking for a fast and convenient experience can find a good option at Walmart. Like many other retailers on this list, Walmart offers free shipping, a subscription-based buying model, and allows shoppers to make bulk purchases with a year’s worth of contacts. But, in addition to all the other elements of customer service, Walmart can alert you when your prescription needs to be refilled. For customers not used to ordering contact lenses online, the site offers a “How to Read a Contact Lens Prescription” overview page that they can review before ordering to make sure they are getting the correct lenses. Stores can also get a prescription for you for a small fee.
GlassesUSA.com is number one when it comes to insurance options. However, if price is an issue, the company also offers a price-match guarantee, a 100% money-back guarantee, and a free shipping and return policy. The brand received an “Excellent” rating on the review site Trustpilot with 4.5 out of 5 stars, with over 42,000 customer reviews describing the experience as “easy” and “fast”.
To determine the best places to order contacts online in 2022, Forbes Health reviewed a number of different data, including:
Ophthalmologists prescribe contact lenses for people with vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. They can also be used to treat conditions and diseases, for example, in people who have not had lenses implanted during cataract surgery.
If you have vision problems, talk to your healthcare provider and consider that you might be a good candidate for contact. An eye examination is required by a licensed professional to determine the strength of your prescription, the correct lens size, and other important aspects.
You can choose from a variety of contact types, including a variety of color and size options, but it’s easy to split your contacts into two main categories:
Contact lenses can have unique advantages over glasses, such as potentially increasing the wearer’s field of vision due to the lack of a frame. They also generally do not distort or reflect light. But contacts are not suitable for everyone and in some cases may not be the best option.
You may want to consult your doctor and consider wearing glasses instead of contact lenses if any of the following apply to you:
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you must have a valid and up-to-date prescription from an ophthalmologist in order to purchase contact lenses in person or online.
If a contact lens website does not contact your doctor directly, you may be asked to take a photo of your prescription or upload certain information. The FTC states that each drug must include the following information, among other things:
Also in the recipes you can find the letters “OS” (evil eye), denoting the left eye, and “OD” (right eye), denoting the right eye. There are numbers under each category. Generally, the higher these numbers, the stronger the recipe. A plus sign means you are farsighted and a minus sign means you are nearsighted.
When putting on lenses, you may need to watch out for possible infection. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) [2] eye infections caused by contact lenses, keratitis is the most common infection of the cornea and can be caused by exposure. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Checked 08/01/22. In some cases, scars can form on the cornea, causing further vision problems. Try to avoid the following to reduce the chance of infection.
Discount Contact Lenses
The FDA states that if you haven’t seen an ophthalmologist in a while, you need to look at your contact lenses before you buy them. Those who haven’t had an eye exam for a year or two may have problems they don’t know about that can’t be solved with contact lenses.
The information provided by Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and well-being is unique to you and the products and services we review may not be appropriate for your situation. We do not provide personal medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For a personal consultation, please contact a healthcare professional.
Forbes Health adheres to strict standards of editorial integrity. All content is accurate as of the date of publication to the best of our knowledge, but the offerings contained herein may not be available. The views expressed are those of the author only and are not provided, endorsed or otherwise endorsed by our advertisers.
Sean is a dedicated journalist who creates content for print and online. He has worked as a reporter, writer, and editor for newsrooms such as CNBC and Fox Digital, but began his career in healthcare for Healio.com. When Sean isn’t making news, he’s probably deleting app notifications from his phone.
Jessica is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience in lifestyle and clinical health. Prior to Forbes Health, Jessica was an editor for Healthline Media, WW and PopSugar, as well as many health-related startups. When she’s not writing or editing, Jessica can be found at the gym, listening to wellness or really important podcasts, or spending time outside. She also loves bread (although she shouldn’t eat bread).
Post time: Sep-22-2022
