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This post was most recently updated on November 1st, 2020
So you’re looking for the lowest price for contact lenses online. Well, unfortunately, the answer isn’t quite as simple as, oh you can go there for the best prices. There are a number of factors that could affect the cost of your contact lenses aside from where you get them from, these costs include the brand, how many boxes of contacts you are buying, as well as what promotions each retailer is running at the time of your purchase.
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Therefore, we generally recommend people who are looking to purchase contact lenses to shop around and look at reputable online retailers to see where they would be able to find the best price for the specific brand of contact lenses that they are wearing.
Where can you find some reputable retailers? We understand in this day and age that most people don’t have the time to sit there and figure out which retailers are reputable ones and retailers do not make it any easier with their different website designs, so we took the time to research retailers for you. Below you will find a list of today’s top online retailers in no particular order. All of these retailers could have the lowest price for one contact lens brand or the other.
ACLens
Worldwide: Yes | Return Policy: 365 days (Boxes must be unopened and undamaged) | Price Match Guarantee: Yes (Will beat competitors price by 5%) | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: No
ACLens is one the largest online full-service eyewear supply companies out there today. ACLens is a great option if you are looking for a one-stop shop, as they offer everything from contact lenses, prescription eyewear, sunglasses, readers, even eye care products such as drops. They ship their products worldwide and offers a hassle free return policy.
VISIT ACLENS
Coastal
Worldwide: Yes (Operate Worldwide as Clearly) | Return Policy: 30 days (Boxes must be unopened and undamaged | Price Match Guarantee: Yes (Max discount $100) | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online PrescriptionRenewal: No
Coastal is one of those online retailers that has been around for quite some time and is a trusted source for prescription eyewear online. You might have heard of them before as Coastal Contacts, but the company has become much more than just a contact lens retailer, offering prescription eyewear as well. They are owned and operated by French Lens manufacturer Essilor, who acquired Coastal in 2014. They operate globally as Clearly and is one of the largest worldwide retailers for prescription eyewear. They offer free shipping on orders over $99
VISIT COASTAL
LensDirect
Worldwide: No (U.S. Only) | Return Policy: 365 days (boxes or glass vitals must be unopened and undamaged) | Price Match Guarantee: Yes | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: Yes
LensDirect is a NewYork-based company that was founded in 1992 as a contact lens mail order company. Not long after they were one of the top providers for contact lenses online. LensDirect generally has great prices across their entire inventory of contact lenses, however, you can save 5% more if you subscribe to their AutoRefill service. They also have a contact lens prescription online renewal service where you can get your prescription renewed from the comfort of your home. They also offer free shipping on orders over $49.
VISIT LENSDIRECT
Walgreens
Worldwide: No (U.S. Only) | Return Policy: **See Below** | Price Match Guarantee: No | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: No
Walgreens is America’s largest drugstore chain that in the recent years have expanded their inventory to include contact lenses. If you take a look at the pricing for contacts at Walgreens at their full retail price you may notice that they are generally on the more expensive side, however, Walgreens often runs promotions just like the current 20% off they are currently running. These promotions help bring down the cost on the contact lenses immensely and brings their prices down to a more competitive level with other retailers. They also offer free standard shipping on all their orders.
**Walgreens only accepts returns on contact lenses if they sent the wrong lenses, the lenses are damaged or defective, or if you ordered the incorrect prescription. They accept any unopened, unexpired, and undamaged boxes of in-stock contact lenses sold through Walgreens.**
VISIT WALGREENS
EZContacts
Worldwide: No (U.S. & Canada Only) | Return Policy: 30 days (Boxes must be unopened and undamaged) | Price Match Guarantee: Yes (Will beat competitors price by 5%) | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: No
EZContacts is another one of the leading online eyewear retailers out there today. They offer a great selection of contact lenses at very competitive prices and offers free shipping on orders within the United States. They do not only sell contacts despite their name, but they also sell prescription eyewear and sunglasses as well.
VISIT EZCONTACTS
1800Contacts
Worldwide: Yes (Except Mexico and Spain) | Return Policy: **See Below** | Price Match Guarantee: Yes (Will beat competitors price by 2%) | Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: Yes
1800Contacts has to be easily the most well known online contact lens retailer out there. That is of course what they were trying to go for with their name, it is just easy to remember. They are one of the world’s largest contact lens stores, with the goal of providing customers with an easy and convenient way to purchase their contact lenses online. They are one of the most trusted and reputable online retailers available today.
**1800Contacts actually has quite a flexible return policy. You are able to return any unopened and undamaged boxes of contacts any time, backed by their Gajillion percent promise**
VISIT 1800CONTACTS
Eyeconic
Worldwide: No (U.S. Only) | Return Policy: 30 days (Boxes must be unopened and undamaged) | Price Match Guarantee: No| Accepts FSA/HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard) | Online Prescription Renewal: No
Eyeconic is an online eyewear retailer that is owned and operated by VSP Vision Care health insurance company. This website is one of the very few online retailers where if you have vision insurance through VSP, Metlife, or Cigna Vision you are able to directly apply your benefits to your order. This means you less money out of pocket for you. Eyeconic has a great selection of contact lenses, and also carries prescription eyewear as well.
VISIT EYECONIC
WalmartContacts.com
Worldwide: No (U.S. Only) | Return Policy: 365 days (Boxes must be unopened and undamaged) | Price Match Guarantee: Yes | Accepts FSA./HSA Cards: Yes (Cards that are affiliated with Visa/MasterCard| Online Prescription Renewal: No
Walmart is a retailer that operates globally, however for their contact lenses they only offer the service to the U.S. and its territories. Not long ago Walmart was partnered with 1800Contacts for contact lenses after that partnership ended Walmart launched its own online contact lens store. If you already purchase your contact lenses through your local retailer, WalmartContacts.com can actually verify your prescription with your local Walmart Vision Center, and you can purchase them online. Which saves you a trip to those busy Walmart stores where parking can be a hassle at times. Walmart also sells prescription glasses online, but that aspect of the business could use some work.
VISIT WALMART CONTACTS
How do you know what your prescription is?
It is important to remember that getting your contact lenses online doesn’t mean that it is a way to get out of getting your annual exam with your eye doctor. Any reputable online retailer will still require you to have a valid prescription with your doctor’s office. In the U.S, all contact lenses require a valid prescription that is written by a qualified eyecare practitioner
Therefore, if you do not currently have a contact lens prescription, then you would have to visit the eye care practitioner of your choice and have an eye exam done. You can then take that prescription from the doctor’s office and order online. From time to time, you might run into an eye doctor that will refuse to give you your prescription if they know you’re going to order somewhere else, but if you are in the U.S. your eye care practitioner is legally required to give you a copy of your prescription upon request.
Alternatively, if you already wear contact lenses but you don’t have a copy of your prescription, but you have the boxes of contacts you can enter the prescription that is listed on your box. This could have a longer processing time, as retailers have to verify your prescription with your doctor and this could add 24-48 hours to the processing time. So the easiest way for the quickest processing time would be to have a copy of your prescription that you would be able to upload when you place your order.
How to read your contact lens prescription
Entering your contact lens prescription when you are purchasing your contact lenses is fairly straightforward, but we wanted to provide you with some information just in case you run into any issues. See the example below.
Contact lens prescriptions include measurements that you will not find on your glasses prescription, these measurements include the base curve, diameter, lens brand and typically a shorter expiration date. In the U.S. a contact lens prescription is good for one year, whereas eyeglass prescriptions are generally good for two.
Now let’s take a look at all those abbreviations and we’ll explain what they all mean so you have a better understanding of what is written on your contact lens prescription.
- OD – This abbreviation stands for “Oculus dexter,” which is the Latin term for “right eye.”
- OS – This abbreviation stands for “Oculus sinister,” which is the Latin term for “left eye”
- SPH – This abbreviation stands for “Sphere”, and is the amount of power in diopters that is needed to get your vision as close to 20/20 as possible.
- BC – This abbreviation stands for “Base curve,” and is the measurement of the back curvature of the contact lens in millimeters. This measurement will vary depending on the curvature of the front surface of your eye. The higher the number the flatter the curve, and the lower the number the steeper the curve.
- DIA – This abbreviation stands for “Diameter,” and is the measurement from one edge of your contact lens to the other edge, measured in millimeters.
- CYL – This abbreviation stands for “Cylinder” and is a measurement if you have astigmatism, and need toric contact lenses to correct your vision.
- AXIS – This is a measurement that will also be found on toric contact lenses for astigmatism. This measurement is listed in degrees and is the orientation that the lenses need to be. Toric contact lenses for astigmatism are weighted on one side to hold the contact lens in the orientation that you need it to be.
- LENS NAME – This is the brand of the contact lenses. In the United States your prescription must have a brand, and the retailer you get them from must sell you that brand, and that brand only. Occasionally you might find some private label brands that can be substituted with an equivalent name brand.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, some reputable online retailers you can check out to save you some money on your contact lenses. If you already have a preferred online contact lens retailer, you can always request them to price match a price if you find it lower at another online retailer. Prices for contact lenses are constantly changing, and retailers are constantly offering different promotions so definitely keep an eye out for any coupon codes that you could use to save you even more money.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns don’t hesitate to drop a comment below and we still try to get back to you as soon as we can.
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