Is it safe to buy color contacts online?
If you compare color contact lens prices at the doctor’s office and at online contact lens shops, you will see that online you can get your lenses 50 to 70 percent cheaper. But you may ask, why such huge difference? Are the lenses sold online inferior in quality? Find out how you can buy discount color lenses and avoid all the pitfalls.
Luckily for you, the lenses you buy online are exactly the same as your doctor would order. Online stores have several advantages over traditional shops that result in lower prices. They don’t have to be located in a busy area where rents are high, and they require less staff. Large online shops also sell thousands of color contact lenses every day, so they keep their prices low in order to hold the market.
One disadvantage of online shopping is that you have to use your credit card. Many people think this is risky. However, large reputable retailers always use secure order forms, so with them your card is as safe as it is when you use it in a local supermarket.
What color contacts are available online?
Online shops offer a great variety of color contact lenses. The most popular are disposable color contacts – Freshlook, Acuvue 2 Colors and Expressions. You will see them in any store. Large online shops also carry a variety of traditional (annual replacement) color contacts, like Durasoft 2 Colors, Durasoft Colorblends and Illusions.
It would be wise to see what color contacts are available through the Internet and compare the brands and prices before you visit your doctor for a prescription. This way you can ask your doctor for a particular brand, rather then leave the choice to him or her.
Non prescription color contacts online
You might see many ads saying “order no-prescription color contact lenses”. In this case “no-prescription” means color contacts with no corrective power for people with 20/20 vision. You can find many of those online. However, to buy them you still need doctor’s prescription.
Actually, you need a doctor’s prescription to buy any contact lenses, including color and even special effect contacts. While ordering, make sure that you order the exact brand and type of lens that you were prescribed. You can’t just order Acuvue 2 Colors if you have a prescription for Freshlook Colorblends. The only thing that’s up to you is the color of the lens.
How to choose the best online contact lens store?
Cooper Vision, Ciba Vision, Bausch & Lomb and other contact lens manufacturers have their own websites, but they usually don’t sell lenses through them. So your only option for ordering color lenses on the Internet is to buy them from contact lens online stores.
Hundreds – if not thousands – of online shops sell color contact lenses, so it is not easy to find the best one. Their prices are usually similar, with only a 1 or 2 dollar price difference, per box of lenses. Some people compare prices between several companies and go with the one that offers the lowest price. However, there are several other things you will have to keep in mind.
When selecting an online contact lens store look at:
•The shipping charges, and if free shipping is available
•How quickly your order will be shipped
•Whether they offer any additional discounts on larger orders
•Whether this contact lens retailer reputable and trustworthy
It might be a bit time consuming to compare many online stores, though. So, for your convenience, there are reviews of color contact lens online stores, where several shops are compared to help you make an educated choice.
Tanya Turner is a contact lens expert and a founder of Contact Lenses Consumer Guide which provides you with unbiased information about contact lenses including Discount color contact lenses, and special effect contacts