Where to buy Contact Lenses?

There is no one single or best place where you can buy contact lenses. Finding the right source for contact lenses requires some research and evaluation on your part. Do not be rigid about going to the cheapest and quickest stop, instead be prepared to shop around on both, online and offline resources. Ensure that you focus on value and not just price. This will include availability of the product that you want, ease and convenience of purchase, customer service and care, price and other value added professional services.

Before you begin the process of buying, ensure that you have a copy of your contact lens prescription, which can be obtained from your eye care practitioner. Then check to see if you have an insurance plan that includes vision coverage. Once you have all the preliminaries sorted out, evaluate your sources.

Eye doctor or eye care practitioner

Check with your doctor first to see if he will give you the lenses at discounted prices; some doctors will sell larger quantities of lenses, six months or a year’s supply for instance, at prices that are competitive vis-à-vis other sources. Moreover, they may even ship the lenses directly to you. Some doctors also offer a bunch of professional services along with the package including visits, eye checkups, contact lens care products and other services, which might make the price more attractive.

Optical chains

Regional multi-location eye care practices and stores like Pearle Vision and LensCrafters, generally have in-house optometrists or provide such services at close-by locations. Such outlets offer the advantage of being able to provide eye exams and contact lens fittings, as well as sell you a supply of lenses.These sellers also benefit from whole-sale buying and typically offer competitive prices.

Mass merchandisers

Stores like Sears and Target often have optical departments that offer the same advantage of optical chains. Costco, which runs its own optical department, and Wal-Mart, which has a mix of company-owned and leased optical departments, offer those same advantages, too.

Online retailers

Discounted contact lenses can also be bought from online manufacturers. Obviously, buying anything on the Internet involves some risk, and contact lenses are no exception. However, if you know where to shop, Internet purchase is a very convenient resource. Internet sites let you order 24/7 and make it easy to compare contact lens cost. The only problem is that delivery may take a few days and you may not get the lenses instantly like in the other options mentioned above.