With the high cost of traditional retail ‘brick and mortar’ contact lenses, many people are now seeking to purchase contact lenses online. Traditional Opticians have such expenses as building costs, optician and staff salaries, and overhead expenses. These costs get transferred to the consumer. More people are discovering that buying contacts online is a much more affordable way of acquiring contact lenses.

Contact lenses ordered though an Optician can be very expensive. Legitimate online contact lens suppliers sell all the major brands and types of contact lenses at prices that can be up to 70% below retail store prices. These brands include: Dailies, Purevision extended wear, Acuvue Oasys, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision, Cooper Vision, Johnson & Johnson, Ocular Sciences, Wesley Jessen, and more. There are also a variety of colored contacts available.

Most online contact lens retailers will deliver contacts using such shippers as USPS or FedEx. The orders are processed and shipped usually within 72-hours and can arrive in about 5 - 7 business days. The legitimate contact lens websites use secure payment servers that will protect your credit card information by using the best encryption technology. You can submit your information and prescription online or by phone. The contact lenses are delivered right to your door.

Contact lens online sellers can sell cheaper contact lenses because they do not have high overhead costs. As well, they buy contacts in bulk directly from the manufacturers and ship from warehouses. The longer the contact lens supply that you buy, the cheaper the prices of the contacts will be.

Online retailers require a valid prescription for all contact lens orders. Federal Law now requires the eye care provider to release a copy of your prescriptions. Federal Law also requires the online contact lens retailer to verify all prescriptions with the appropriate eye care provider. The copy of your contact lens prescription belongs to you. The consumer can give a copy of their prescription to the online retailer, or provide them with the name, phone number or fax number of the issuing authority and give them permission to contact the eye care provider to verify the prescription and its validity. The eye care provider will respond to the company’s request for verification.

When you shop online for contacts make sure that you have a current prescription, purchase a good quality brand name contacts, make sure that the online company is a valid and legitimate online contact lens retailer that allows you to track your shipment, and you should find out the total costs of the contact lenses before making the online purchase.

Legitimate online retailers offer quality service and the lowest prices on most brand name contact lenses. Millions of consumers are now taking advantage of the services and products offered by online contact lens retailers. These online companies stock millions of brand name contact lenses and ship directly to the consumer’s home. Buying contact lenses online is a cheap and convenient means of obtaining your contact lenses.

Whether you think you need vision correction and are considering contact lenses, or whether you’ve been using glasses or contacts for years, you may be curious about the difference between a routine eye exam and a contact lens exam. Perhaps you’ve never thought about it, always assuming that both are one and the same. The truth is, there are some fundamental differences between these two types of exams.

The information below will give you an overview about each type of exam and explain the difference between the two so that you can ensure you are scheduling the right type of appointment with your eye care professional.

Routine Eye Exam

A routine eye exam exists for the purpose of detecting vision problems, eye disease and general eye health issues. An eye exam can help identify any of these concerns before you are even aware that they exist. It is generally recommended that everyone have a routine eye exam every 1 to 3 years, depending on age, risk factors and physical condition.

What to Expect

Eye doctors use a variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes.  You will most likely be asked to read an eye chart.  First you will read the chart with both eyes uncovered. Then you will read the chart while you cover one eye (and then the other eye).  Your eye doctor will then perform tests which may or may not include these common tests:

Retinoscopy

For this test, the lights in the room are dimmed and you will be asked to focus your eyes on a target. While you stare at the target, a light will be shined into your eye and flip different lenses in a machine in front of your eyes.  The way the light bounces off of your eye will provide a general approximation of what your prescription (should you need one) will be.

Refraction

This test helps your eye care professional determine the exact level of augmentation that your vision requires. Refraction is done with a     machine called a phoropter. The doctor will show you a series of lens choices and ask you which of the choices looks clearer. Based on your answers, the doctor will be able to determine your level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and/or presbyopia.

Slit-Lamp Examination

A slit-lamp is an instrument that allows your doctor to examine the health of your eyes using a machine that highly magnifies all the structures contained therein. This way, your eye doctor can examine each part of your eye to evaluate them for infection or disease.

There are various other tests that eye doctors can choose to use during an eye exam to determine the general health and well-being of your eyes. A contact lens exam is different in that it focuses on only one aspect of your eye health.

The Contact Lens Exam

If you wear contact lenses or are considering starting, you should make sure to schedule a contact lens exam versus a regular eye exam.  Basically, your eye doctor will need to run tests that will evaluate the surface of your eye’s cornea in order to ensure a proper contact lens fit. Your doctor will also ask a series of questions about your lifestyle and preferences in order to determine the best type of contact lenses to prescribe for you.  The doctor will measure the surface and curvature of your eye using an instrument called a kerameter.  Then your pupil and iris will be measured.  Finally, your eye doctor will select contact lenses for you and instruct you in proper insertion and care.

If you are experiencing vision problems that need to be corrected, you have probably already consulted with a qualified optometrist and have begun exploring the options in order to treat these issues. From special eyewear to laser surgery, there are many different ways to correct common vision symptoms and restore most or all of your vision. You may be considering contact lenses as a possible solution; however it’s important to note that not all vision symptoms can be corrected with contact lenses. Here are some vision problems that contact lenses generally cannot correct:

Extreme Dry Eyes

This is a common problem for contact lens wearers. If you are prone to very dry eyes or have allergies, wearing contact lenses can make your eyes sore and in some cases cause a great deal of discomfort. Those with dry or itchy eyes may feel the need to rub or scratch near their eyes, and this can cause damage to their eyes, sometimes even leading to infection. Over time, this rubbing of the contact lenses can degrade the surface of your cornea making it impossible to wear contact lenses correctly, even with constant lubrication with drops. If you are someone who experiences dry eyes or has allergies that affect your eyes, then it may not be a good idea to treat your vision problems with contact lenses.

Conjunctivitis

In the vision impaired person, a malfunction of the glands that secret the fluids of the eye can cause protein build up while wearing contact lenses. This is a condition called conjunctivitis. If wearing some of the long-term lenses, such as the 30 day soft variety that have been very popular, these glands can begin to produce fluids that are too high in protein levels, and this can cause the capillaries in the eye to become congested and infected.

Conjunctivitis, if not treated right away, can cause a burning, itching redness in the eyes. If not treated, the infection can cause permanent vision problems including blindness. It’s best to seek the advice of an Optometrist before deciding on contact lenses if you are prone to eye infections or have underlying medical problems that may compromise your successful wearing of contact lenses.

Blindness

Obviously if you are partially or fully blind in one of both eyes, you will not get improvement for these vision symptoms by wearing contact lenses. Blindness is a cellular issue and a breakdown of the actual eye tissue, either congenitally or as a result of illness or injury. The only benefits of wearing contact lenses for a blind patient would be cosmetic. Unfortunately, wearing contact lenses will simply not help. One exception to this is an individual who is classified as legally blind, but still has some vision. Contact lenses may help make that vision slightly clearer.

Remember to consult with your eye doctor before making a decision to use contact lenses, always purchase high quality lenses from an eye care clinic to avoid any problems, and use them carefully to avoid any injury or infections to your most precious asset, your eyesight.