According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 45 million people in the U.S. wear contact lenses. But now, with COVID-19, and the subsequent social distancing and mask requirements, it’s not the best time to go to your eye doctor every time you need new contacts.
The good news is, if you need a new order but don’t need to update your prescription, you can purchase contact lenses online quickly and safely. If you’ve never ordered contacts online before, you can follow this simple step-by-step guide to placing an order.
Identify the Features You Need
There are various types of lenses on the market, each designed to correct specific eye conditions. Aside from just having a prescription, you need to determine what contact lens type will work best for you. To figure this out, consult your optometrist. They may suggest the following solutions for these conditions:
- Myopia or Hyperopia– Myopia makes distant objects look out of focus, whereas hyperopia makes nearby objects appear out of focus. Typically, eye doctors recommend spherical contact lenses to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.
- Astigmatism– If you have astigmatism, it means your eye’s cornea or lens has a slighty different curvature than the average eye. This condition is relatively common, with symptoms including blurred or distorted vision, eyestrain, and trouble seeing in the dark. If you have astigmatism, you’ll likely want toric contact lenses.
- Presbyopia– The natural aging process often causes a gradual loss of the eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Optometrists often recommend multifocal (bifocal or progressive) contact lenses for those with presbyopia.
Choose Type and Material
Once you have identified the lenses you require, you have to choose between the various options for how long each pair of contacts is designed to last.
You should remove and discard daily disposable contact lenses every night, but there are models for extended use and others that allow for reuse after proper cleaning and disinfection. Today, lenses are designed with four primary materials for specific purposes and different lifespans:
- Soft Lenses– Made from gel-like, water-containing plastics called hydrogels, soft lenses are thin and flexible and adapt to the front surface of the eye.
- Silicone Hydrogel Lenses– Released in 2002, silicone hydrogel lenses are more porous than soft lenses, allowing more oxygen to reach the cornea. This characteristic allows for continuous wear. However, this material does tend to collect more deposits.
- Gas Permeable Lenses– Also called GP or RGP lenses, gas permeable lenses are rigid contacts but more comfortable than the conventional plastic models. They promise clearer vision than soft and silicone hydrogel lenses but usually take longer for the eye to adjust to. Due to their small size, they don’t stay in place as well as other lens types and are not recommended for sports.
- Hybrid Contact Lenses– Hybrid lenses have a rigid and permeable center, like traditional gas permeable lenses, and a soft outer ring that makes them as comfortable as soft or silicone hydrogel lenses. However, hybrid lens wearers tend to find them more challenging to fit, and these contacts tend to cost more than the other options.
Choose a Brand Your Trust
When buying prescription contact lenses online, stick to a brand you trust. Ask your ophthalmologist for recommendations and read reviews for different companies before choosing. But don’t buy directly from the retailer; instead, look for sellers with multiple brand options that offer sales, price matches, money-back guarantees, free shipping, returns, etc.
Upload Your Prescription and Enter Your Insurance Information
Even if you buy your contact lenses online, you should still see your eye doctor periodically to update your prescription as needed. On average, healthy adults between 20 and 40 should have their eyes checked every five to 10 years. From ages 40 to 54, you should visit the optometrist for an eye exam every two to four years.
Some online stores ask to upload the prescription and your doctor’s information to confirm any details. Depending on what vision insurance you have, you may be able to use it toward your purchase.
See the World Through Different Lenses
Granted you have a prescription, purchasing contact lenses online is a great way to save money and time. Compared to purchases contacts from your eye doctor, you have more options when shopping online. Then, after ordering your new lenses, all you have to do is wait from the comforts of home for your package to arrive.
