General

Today online shopping has such an impact on our daily life, so why not consider getting your contact lenses online as well which could be easy and save you lots of time if you have been wearing contact lenses for some time and already know what brand and type of lenses suit you best.  One of the most important benefits of buying contact lenses online, though, is the prices — online stores can provide a much better price than physical stores.

If you are new contact lenses, you first need to start by seeing an optometrist as you need a prescription for your lenses. Even if you have worn glasses for many years and now have decided to switch to contact lenses, you still need to see an optometrist first since you need a different type of prescription for contact lenses. We strongly suggest that you only buy lenses if you’ve received a prescription for contact lenses in the past 12 months. The same goes for those who have used contact lenses for a while; they should also update your prescription every year.

Price

As with most other products, buying contact lenses online can save you money. There are a lot of online stores offering lenses in bulk which can be a great saving, but also some stores will match prices if you ask. Another great value that some online shops offer is subscriptions — if you know that you will use the same brand lenses for a while, but don`t want to buy many at once and store them at home, you can get a subscription, and receive a new package of them every month. This is great also for busy people, who might forget such a small but important thing.

Types

Like with anything else, there are different types of contact lenses. Here we will introduce all the types. This could be a great cheat sheet for your next purchase.

• Daily  lenses are meant to wear for only a day meaning they come with a low risk of infection because you just throw them away after using them — plus there is no need for any sterilization or storage products, like sterile liquid and storage case, cons - could be the most expensive product;
• Weekly lenses are similar to daily ones, just you can use them for a week or two which can make for great savings. Because of the need for sterilizing and storing them, the risk of bacteria and inflammation is increased necessitating the purchase of additional products and taking time to clean them;
• Monthly lenses can be used for a month, which can make for great savings. Their downsides are the same as weekly contact lenses, but the risk of them causing inflammation is higher.
• Extended wear  - These are the only contact lenses meant to be worn even while you sleep. with the extended wear lenses, you can sleep and continue your daily rhythm without changing them. Just be aware that not all people will feel comfortable with them, so you need to try them first and get your doctor’s opinion, as well. It’s also important to remember to let your eyes rest by taking them out at times. These are great for shift workers like firemen, nurses, police officers, etc., but come with a slightly higher risk of infection and inflammation;
• RGP - Rigid Gas Permeable lenses were the most popular choice in the 1970s, but nowadays are rarely used. They are very stiff and can be hard on your eyes by not letting oxygen through them and into your eyes. They also don’t move with your eyes. However, because of their rigidity, they do provide excellent results when it comes to vision correction;
• Hybrid  - These are a mix of RGP and soft contact lenses. With softer sides and an RGP center, they combine the best features of both. These lenses can be very expensive, though, and still might not be the most comfortable option to wear;
• Toric - These are for correcting astigmatisms and have more of an oval shape than other contact lenses;
• Other - custom, fashion, and scleral lenses.

Advice

There are a plethora of options of where to buy contact lenses online — so here are some suggestions to help you choose amongst the competition.  The first thing is to make sure the outlet asks you for a prescription - this can be a signal of how much they care about your health. Customer service is also important to consider. Make sure you will be able to reach them if anything happens to go wrong.