Contact Lens Review

Why Buy Contact Lenses Online?

Moving from glasses to contacts can be a tremendous leap of faith, and knowing that you are making the correct choices along the way gives you peace of mind. Buying contacts from an online retailer gives you the freedom to shop from home in your pajamas or at work while munching on carrot sticks. While convenience is a strong reason to shop online, the best contact lenses retailers will offer your contacts at a cheaper price than if you bought them at a brick-and-mortar store. An online search will quickly pull up discount contact lenses at several different online retailers. Another advantage to ordering online is that you can schedule your contact lens refills and never have to worry about running out.

Buying contacts online means that you can shop around and find peace of mind, and after reviewing several contact lens sites, we found that Coastal Contacts, Vision Direct and 1-800 Contacts can deliver just that. Combining excellent customer service, a wide variety of contacts and accessories to choose from, as well as great shipping options, these sites are the best contact lens retailers online. Visit our learning center to find informational articles on contact lenses and eye health, as well as our comprehensive reviews.

Contact Lenses Online: What to Look For

Finding a site from which to buy your contact lenses can be challenging. Your choices used to be limited, but there are now many great quality contact lens sites to explore, and it can be difficult to figure out which ones offer you the best deal with the best support. However, there are specific elements you can look for that will tell you whether a site will serve you well. Below are the criteria we used to evaluate the sites we reviewed.

Selection
Look for sites with large product selections and affordable prices. You want a wide selection of both brands and lens types to give you the most freedom when buying contacts. The best sites will carry the best contact lenses brands and will have a wide range of lens types. Brands such as Acuvue, Air Optix, Biofinity, Focus, Freshlook, Proclear and PureVision should be readily available. Look for websites that include single vision and bifocal lenses, daily, weekly and monthly disposables, toric lenses, traditional, or vial, lenses, and for an added flair, colored contacts. The best sites will also carry the increasingly popular theatrical lenses.

Shipping
Spend some time considering the shipping options available on any contact lens website. How fast a company can get contact lenses to you becomes an important factor when you are running low on lenses. Look for companies with fast turnarounds of between three and five days, and at reasonable prices. The best websites will give you a way to track your shipment and will offer free shipping if you meet certain criteria. Many sites offer expedited shipping, so check for that option if you're in a rush.

Search Options
Any online retailer should make it easy to navigate the website and find what you are looking for. The best websites will have multiple search options available to you with multiple categories to narrow down your search.

Accessories
One-stop shopping is not only convenient, but it saves you money. Look for sites that include items such as contact solution, cases, sunglasses and reading glasses. Exceptional sites will also offer prescription eyeglasses. If you can purchase all your eye-care accessories on the same site you buy your contact lenses, then you save on shipping and save yourself a little extra time as well.

Help & Support
The best contact lens websites have return policies that will cover most of, if not all, the life expectancy of your lenses. This is nice because it allows you to exchange unused, unopened contact lenses if your prescription changes before you are able to use them – saving you money in the long run.

Look for sites with adequate help and support for all your questions and concerns. Be sure the customer support team offers several options for contacting them. Live chat can be extremely helpful, especially when you're choosing contacts or accessories. You'll also want to see if the company has an active social life. Check the company's social media accounts to see if there are frequent updates and promotions. A company's Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus accounts will provide another way to get answers to your questions and to make suggestions. 

Buying your contacts from a brick-and-mortar store isn't the only option. You can buy your contacts online, secure in the knowledge that the best websites will carry what you need. Choose sites that not only carry your specific contacts, but also offer you a one-stop shopping experience saving you time and money. Check out our reviews of the best contact lens sites and find a service that is the perfect fit for you.

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