What you should know about ordering contacts online
Online contact lens companies are competitive and continuously look for ways to make it easy to get your contacts online and improve the customer experience. By offering an array of attractive features and benefits, they seem to use as many tactics as possible to appeal to online shoppers.
Even though it has become easy to buy contacts online, customers still have many questions, like:
How do I order contacts online?
What types of contacts can I order?
Can I order contacts online without a prescription?
What should I look out for when buying contact lenses online?
What are the benefits of ordering online?
Where can I order contact lenses?
Where are the cheapest contacts online?
Read on to find the answers to these questions and many others.
How do you order contacts online?
How to order contacts online is really pretty simple. To start, you usually just need to enter the information from your current contact lens prescription. To simplify the online ordering process, most websites offer guidelines on how to read the prescription. Once that’s done, you just need to select the type of contacts you want and the quantity.
Typically, an online store will encourage you to open a free account with them to place your order. But many e-commerce stores don’t require it, which is more convenient for one-off purchases or when you want to place an order in a hurry.
However, creating an account online does have several advantages. After you’ve entered the details of your prescription, they will be saved in your profile so that you can complete future orders quickly. You will enjoy the convenience of re-ordering your prescription lenses without needing to fill out repetitive details every time.
Customers who open an account will also benefit from ongoing special promotions and other discounts. You may choose to sign up for a newsletter to stay informed about special offers, advances in technology and new inventory arrivals. You may even be able to subscribe to a reward system that offers regular discounts, making ordering contacts online much cheaper in the long term.
Ideally, the store should offer an array of benefits that encourages long-term loyalty from their customers.
READ MORE: How to buy contact lenses online
What types of contact lenses can you order online?
Eyewear companies offer a broad choice of contacts online. Most e-commerce stores will stock both soft and hard contact lenses. You might even find colored contacts or cosmetic lenses online that can be fun to wear. Preferably, you should see a diverse selection of lenses for long-term use or daily wear.
Your eye doctor will determine what type of contacts your eyes can handle. How long you can wear contacts depends on how healthy your eyes are. Your doctor will tell you what contacts are best for you and set up a wearing schedule that will be comfortable and convenient and will make sure your eyes stay healthy.
Daily wear
Some contact lenses are only designed to be worn for a day, after which you can discard them. Daily disposable contact lens use is convenient as it does away with special storage or cleaning solutions. You simply open the packet, wear the contact lenses throughout the day, and remove them before you go to bed.
Weekly wear
Weekly wear contacts are disposable like the ones for daily wear, but instead of throwing them away every day, you can keep using them for a week. Some weekly contacts can be worn overnight, but most need to be removed every night so they can be cleaned and disinfected. Wearing contacts overnight should only be done with the approval of your eye doctor.
Extended wear
Some contacts are made to be worn overnight and you only need to take them out occasionally to clean or replace them. You may be able to wear these extended wear contacts for up to seven days at a time, but be sure to follow your eye doctor’s recommendations. Seven days is the longest you should wear them; your doctor may tell you that you should not wear them that long.
Continuous wear
Want to wear contacts even longer? You might be able to try continuous wear. A few contacts can be worn continuously for up to 30 days and nights. You’ll need to ask your eye doctor if these would work for you.
Contact lens designs
Contacts are also available in different designs intended for different purposes. Most or all of these should be available at any online store.
Toric – Lenses that are designed to correct astigmatism.
Bifocal and multifocal – Contact lenses that correct more than one type of vision problem.
Cosmetic – Contacts that change eye color or that have special effects, like spider webs or that make your whole eye red.
READ MORE: Contact lens basics: Types of contact lenses and more
Do you need a prescription for online contacts?
This is probably one of the questions most frequently asked by contact lens wearers. You may be running low on your prescription lenses or are already back to wearing your glasses every day. A busy lifestyle can catch up with anyone, and you just haven’t had time to renew your contact lenses prescription.
U.S.-based contact lens providers can only sell contacts to customers if the customer provides a current prescription. This is a legal requirement that protects the service provider and their customers.
Whenever you visit an optometrist in the U.S., they should give you a copy of your prescription. You shouldn’t even need to ask for it. Once you have the prescription, you can explore how to order your contact lenses online.
READ MORE: Where can I buy contacts without a prescription?
What to look for when buying contacts online
Customer demand helps improve product quality, variety, pricing and services provided by companies. If you want to buy your eyewear online, find an e-commerce store that offers you the best possible customer experience.
Here are a few questions to ask when searching for the right place to buy contacts online:
Can I buy my lenses online without registering for an account?
Does the company provide ongoing discounts or promotional offers? What about a newsletter to keep me updated about advances in the eyewear market?
Will I be able to get advice from an optometrist online?
Does the company offer a free online eye exam for contacts? (Note that online eye exams are only for renewing prescriptions and are not a substitute for regular in-person exams.)
Will the store accept my insurance?
Will the company be able to fill special contact lens prescriptions for astigmatism or other specific vision needs?
Can I make all my contact lens purchases in one place, including supplies like cleaning solution?
Is the shipping cost included in the order, or do I need to pay extra?
You may not be interested in all of these features, but still, do your homework. Decide what you need when buying your contact lenses online and whether the company you’re eyeing will live up to your expectations.
The benefits of buying contact lenses online
Most online stores will add more value in the form of benefits to keep their customers happy. Extra services make it worth your while to shop there again and should encompass:
Saving you time and effort
If you must drive somewhere to buy your lenses, you could face traffic, waiting lines and finding a parking spot. When you order your contact lenses online, you save yourself time and effort. If you can create profiles for each family member in one account, this saves time over creating individual accounts.
Shopping at your convenience
You can place your order whenever it is convenient. If you have even a few minutes to spare, you can send in an order. You get to shop from the comfort of your home or car, or while watching your children at a sports event.
Receiving reminders
Some companies send reminders to you when it’s time to place an order. Reminders can help you make sure you receive and start wearing new contacts on time. You may even find that the company has an automatic ordering feature that automatically ships your new contacts on a schedule.
Receiving discounts
Discounts, promotional offers and reward systems can all help make your contacts cost less. When these deals are useful, regular, and free of complex conditions, you get to reap more rewards than you likely would at a local store.
Getting exceptional 24/7 service
You can always test the service levels of a retailer before opening an account with them. Send them a message and check how long they take to respond. Read customer reviews to get a sense of the quality of their services. If you do your homework well, you should find a company that delivers exceptional service around the clock.
Where can you buy contacts online?
Now that you have decided to buy your contact lenses online, where do you start? A simple search for “where to buy contact lenses online” is an excellent place to begin your search. You’ll get suggestions for stores as well as lists of recommendations and reviews.
Alternatively, you can explore the companies listed below to place an order for your contact lenses:
Costco contacts online
Walmart contacts online
Most companies provide quality contacts online and cheap contact lenses. You can try any of the companies above for quality and cheap lenses.
Getting your contacts online has developed into a streamlined process. Now you can register with a preferred service provider online and have your contact lenses delivered within days. This online ordering process is designed to generate a valuable customer experience that retains your loyalty. The benefits seem to outweigh those of traditional shopping, but this is your decision to make.
Why buy contacts online
There’s no one place to find the best deals on contacts. Buying online is sometimes more convenient than buying from your local optical store; plus, online stores sometimes offer discounts and promotions that might make buying online seem more affordable as well.
Another way you can save when you order is to buy in bulk. If you can afford to, buy enough contacts to last you a year instead of just a few months. The cost per box will almost certainly be less. If your prescription changes, many online stores will let you return unopened boxes.
Schedule an eye exam
To buy contact lenses online, you need to have a current prescription. If you haven’t seen an eye doctor in a while or have never had a prescription for contact lenses, it may be time to schedule a contact lens eye exam.
READ MORE: Your complete guide to buying contact lenses
Page published on Thursday, March 11, 2021
