ShopForLenses - Buying Lenses

Contact lenses can be purchased from your eye doctor, over the internet and from an optical shop. The most important thing when ordering contacts is to have a valid contact lens prescription that is less than 1 year old. In the United States contact lenses are considered medical devices. Even if you already have a prescription for glasses, you need to get a new one that contains additional information for contact lenses.

Since February 2004 legislation went into effect that gave all U.S. consumers the right to a copy of their contact lens prescription. Contact lens wearers can now buy their lenses from their eye doctors, from optical stores or through internet sites selling contact lenses.
When deciding where to purchase your contacts from, consider the following aspects:

1. Is my contact lens prescription valid? You should always have a valid, correct prescription when you buy contact lenses

2. Evaluate a variety of sources, and don't automatically buy the cheapest lenses. You should focus on value, not just price. (price, customer service, availability)

3. Try to order your contact lenses from a supplier you are familiar with and know is reliable

What do I need to order contact lenses online?(buying lenses)
In order for you to be able to order contact lenses over the Internet you need to follow certain steps. If you have never worn contact lenses before and you finally decided to try them we advise you to visit a reputable eye care practitioner for a complete eye examination and prescription, as you need a prescription to order contact lenses online. You may have some problems with your eyes that you are not aware of and wearing improper contact lenses may not correct your vision correctly, which can lead to blindness. If you have already worn contact lenses before and you have a prescription as well please make sure that it is less than 12 months old. Never order lenses with a prescription that has expired. Contact lens wear causes many changes to cells and tissues of the eye, and sometimes wearing contact lenses can harm the cornea (the clear window of the eye). Even if you are presently experiencing no problems, the lenses may be causing damage to your eyes. Regular check-ups will diminish the possibility of damage going unnoticed. To make sure that all the required details are included in your prescription we thought to enumerate the elements that make it up. The minimum elements usually include your name and the doctor’s name along with the contact lens brand name and material. Also, lens measurements such as power, diameter and base curve are integrated. More detailed prescription may include the length of time the lenses should be worn. Find the best deal on Acuvue contacts, check store review before shopping
What do I need to take into consideration when buying contact lenses on the Internet?
You should always have a current, correct prescription when you order contact lenses even if you need the lenses for cosmetic use only. Your contact lens prescription should not be more than one year old, as your vision might change within a year and wearing the wrong contacts might seriously affect your vision. You should never order contact lenses with a prescription that has expired.
HOW TO READ A CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION?
Because of the technological changes in contact lenses nowadays more and more people are wearing contact lenses. But if you have never worn contact lenses before and you do not know what is the first step to be done we have tried to give you some information regarding this problem. If you have decided to wear contact lenses the first step for you would be to visit an eye care professional, optometrist and have a check-up. The eye doctor will check your eyes to make sure that you can wear contact lenses after which he will determine your prescription. Reading a contact lens prescription is not a hard thing to do especially if you had worn glasses before. Usually doctors all use the same shorthand to write down contact lens prescriptions. But you have to be careful as contact lens prescription is different from eyeglasses prescriptions. Besides the lens power, your contact lens prescription contains several other pieces of information related to the size of the lens, and an expiration date as well. The prescription will also enclose the BC value but if your contact lens prescription will not contain one this is because the lens you have to wear is available in one base curve. If your doctor has prescribed you Toric lenses your prescription will have two more columns entitled cylinder and axis. Do not be afraid if the power is higher than that of your glasses because contact lenses sit on the surface of your eye, while your eyeglasses sit about 12 mm in front of your eye. Usually a prescription has several symbols in order for the doctor to be able to write it more easily and rapidly. Knowing these symbols will help you read your prescription in the approved manner. Here are some of the symbols that you can find on a prescription: OD - Right Eye OS - Left Eye OU - Both Eyes BC - Base Curve Dia - Diameter Cyl - Cylinder Axis In addition to all these the contact lens prescription will also contain your name, age , address and the name of the lens that you are supposed to wear. Reading a prescription is not so difficult as some people think it is the only thing that you have to know is the above mentioned symbols with the help of which you will be able to read your prescription easier then ever.
CAN CHILDREN WEAR CONTACT LENSES?
One of the problems that eye care professionals have to deal with is how to explain to parents that children can also wear contact lenses and that this will not harm their eyes. Contact lens wear is not an matter of age. After several studies that were made during the last few years practitioners agree that in order for a child to be able to wear contact lenses he or she should be at least ten years old. There are of course a few exceptions as well when the child is recommended to wear contact lenses because of an illness of the eye that cannot be treated with simple glasses. In these cases children are allowed to wear contact lenses after a very careful examination. Children wear contact lenses for fundamentally the same reasons as adults: to see well or to look better. Children can wear all kind of contact lenses but the soft ones are more preferred. In most cases, soft contact lenses are more comfortable and are easier for the eye to adapt to. They do necessitate more scrupulous care and tend to wear out sooner than rigid contact lenses but their advantage is that they do not pop out or move around on the eye like other lenses do. In order for children to be able to wear contact lenses parents should take them to the nearest eye care doctor and have and eye examination. It is not recommended to wear contact lenses without a prescription even if those lenses are for cosmetic use only. Some children use contact lenses only to change the color of their eye but they do not know that even for this they require a prescription. If parents have decided to allow their children to wear contact lenses instead of glasses they have to explain their kids that contacts entail a meticulous care. Parents have to give details to their offspring regarding how to clean a contact lens and how to insert it. Children should also know all the details about the lenses they are wearing whether it is a daily, weekly or a monthly lens and if he can sleep with it. Parents should clarify all these with their children because even the slightest mistake can cause huge problems. Thanks to the changes that occurred during the years regarding contact lenses, more parents are switching their children's eyeglasses with contacts. With the suitable choice of contact lens, regular follow-up many children are able to successfully continue to wear their contact lenses long into their grown-up lives. Contact Lenses Lensshopper.com is your guide to the best and cheapest contact lenses available on the internet. Contact Lenses Express - Online Store for Monthly & Daily Disposable Toric Contact Lenses. Contact Lenses Express provides daily & monthly disposable contact lenses & toric lenses of various brands like Bausch & Lomb, Coopervision, Ciba Vision, Jhonson & Johnson and etc. Contact Lenses By Post Buy contact lenses direct by post at discount prices in The UK, Ireland & USA!