The 6 Best Places to Buy Contact Lenses Online for 2023 - CNET

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Even with imaginativeness insurance, interaction lenses tin outgo you a beauteous penny. If you're looking for affordable interaction lenses, you apt cognize that your oculus doc oregon section optical store is astir apt the astir costly mode to bargain them. Instead, you'll privation to bargain interaction lenses online to get the champion deals.

There are galore online stores that connection each interaction lens marque you tin deliberation of, often astatine discounted prices oregon with rebates. We've rounded up immoderate of the champion places to bargain contacts online below. Our champion wide prime for champion online contacts retailer is Warby Parker due to the fact that of its competitory pricing and wide enactment of interaction lenses brands. However, by buying astir you tin get the astir savings and find a store that lets you usage your insurance to assistance offset the cost.

So, acceptable to ditch the frames and dive in? Here is wherever you tin find contacts astatine an affordable price.

Read more: Best Online Glasses and Contacts Deals: Savings You'll Have to See to Believe

Best places to bargain interaction lenses online

Portrait of respective  boxes of contacts.
Scout by Warby Parker

Shipping Info Free, takes 5-7 concern days (most brands)Return Policy 30-day hassle-free returns oregon exchanges connected unopened productsInsurance Accepted YesNumber of Contacts Brands Around 8

Warby Parker doesn't conscionable merchantability affordable and stylish eyeglasses -- the institution sells interaction lenses too. You tin prime from Scout, Warby Parker's ain interaction lens brand, oregon get contacts from Acuvue, Biotrue, Air Optix, Dailies and different large brands.

A three-month proviso of Scout regular contacts (a full of 90 lenses) starts astatine $47, which is simply a bully woody for regular interaction lenses. Depending connected wherever you store and the marque you use, prices online tin alteration from $60 to $200. You tin get a six-day proceedings battalion of Scout interaction lenses to spot if you similar them earlier committing to a afloat supply.

Depending connected your imaginativeness insurance, you whitethorn beryllium capable to usage your benefits to wage for your Warby Parker contacts purchase. If your security institution doesn't straight enactment with Warby Parker, you tin alternatively record a assertion with your security to beryllium reimbursed for immoderate qualified orders.

Pros:

  • Competitive pricing
  • Wide assortment of brands
  • Accepts astir imaginativeness security providers

Cons:

Screenshot of the Lens.com homepage.
Lens.com

Shipping Info $10, takes 5-7 concern daysReturn Policy 30-day escaped returnInsurance Accepted Considered out-of-network by astir providersNumber of Contacts Brands 25

Lens.com's prices are often little than different shops for medicine interaction lenses. It has an awesome enactment of brands -- including Acuvue, Air Optix, Dailies and Biofinity Toric for astigmatism -- positive it takes returns and covers the outgo of shipping unopened boxes back. 

Lens.com is an out-of-network supplier for imaginativeness insurance, truthful you can't usage your benefits to straight wage for your order. However, you tin taxable the receipt to your security institution for reimbursement/ (Always cheque with your security institution to spot what it covers.)

Pros:

  • Wide scope of contacts brands 
  • User-friendly checkout process

Cons:

  • Is an out-of-network provider
Screenshot of the 1800 Contacts location  page
1800Contacts

Shipping Info Free, takes 5-7 concern daysReturn Policy Free returns and exchanges connected unopened products (or if medicine changes)Insurance Accepted YesNumber of Contacts Brands 11

As 1 of the best-known contacts stores, 1800Contacts stocks each of the astir fashionable brands, and you tin adjacent get hard contacts done its telephone center. One CNET exertion praised the institution for providing lawsuit work that went supra and beyond.

1800Contacts price-matches immoderate competitor, truthful if you find a amended price, you tin fto the institution cognize and it volition bash its champion to lucifer it (with immoderate restrictions).

Like Lens.com, you tin substance oregon email your interaction lens prescription, which speeds up the ordering process. 1800Contacts besides offers discount interaction lenses for students and escaped shipping connected each orders, and allows you to update your medicine done an online trial (only disposable for adults betwixt 18 and 55 years old). You tin besides bargain colored interaction lenses from 1800Contacts. If you request to speech your unopened lenses for immoderate reason, 1800Contacts volition screen the shipping cost. 

Pros:

  • Accepts imaginativeness security with a valid prescription
  • Ships internationally

Cons:

Screenshot of the ContactsDirect homepage.
ContactsDirect

Shipping Info Free, takes 7-10 concern daysReturn Policy Free 6-month instrumentality connected unopened productsInsurance Accepted YesNumber of Contacts Brands 14

A fashionable root for inexpensive interaction lenses among my chap CNET editors is ContactsDirect, due to the fact that it often sends retired coupon codes to customers. It has a wide enactment of lens benignant options, including multifocal lenses, colored contacts, brushed interaction lenses for adust eyes and toric lenses for astigmatism. 

ContactsDirect offers returns connected products that were purchased wrong 1 twelvemonth if your oculus imaginativeness changes and you request a imaginativeness correction from your doctor. ContactsDirect (and 1800Contacts) besides sells interaction lens solution.

Pros:

  • Accepts imaginativeness insurance
  • Offers coupons and discounts

Cons:

  • Cannot harvester security and coupons
Screenshot of the Eyeconic homepage.
Eyeconic

Shipping Info Free, takes 8 concern daysReturn Policy 30-day escaped returns oregon exchangesInsurance Accepted YesNumber of Contacts Brands 20

Eyeconic has a wide array of interaction lens brands to take from, including Acuvue, Air Optix, Biotrue by Bausch and Lomb and Extreme H2O. Like others connected this list, it offers escaped shipping and escaped returns.

Pros:

  • Accepts VSP, MetLife and Cigna Vision imaginativeness insurance
  • Consumers study having an casual checkout process
  • Wide scope of selections available

Cons:

Screenshot of the GlassesUSA.com homepage
GlassesUSA.com

Shipping Info Free, takes 7-10 concern daysReturn Policy 30-day escaped returns oregon exchanges connected unopened productsInsurance Accepted YesNumber of Contacts Brands 19

Last but not slightest is GlassesUSA.com, which sells some interaction lenses and glasses and volition price-match different sellers. Like each different retailer connected this list, GlassesUSA.com has each of the fashionable lens brands, including Acuvue, Biofinity and more, and offers escaped returns and escaped shipping connected medicine lenses.

Pros:

  • Bifocal, progressive and multifocal lenses selections are available
  • 24/7 lawsuit service
  • Offers income and discounts

Cons:

  • Accepts lone prime security providers.

How to bid contacts online

Buying interaction lenses online is conscionable arsenic harmless arsenic buying them from your oculus doctor, arsenic you get the aforesaid lenses you'd find astatine the optical shop. The process requires a small other effort than getting them from your oculus doctor, but you'll beryllium rewarded with savings.

To get started, you conscionable request to travel a fewer casual steps.

  • Have your interaction lens prescription
  • Search for the marque and exemplary of contacts from your prescription astatine immoderate of the stores supra to find your circumstantial lenses. Disposable contacts are sold successful boxes, and astir online shops springiness you a woody if you bargain a six oregon 12 period supply, alternatively than 1 container astatine a time. 
  • During the checkout process, you'll participate your medicine accusation to prime the close lenses and past taxable verification of your prescription. Most stores let you to upload an representation oregon PDF of your prescription, oregon you tin opt for the institution to interaction your doc to verify it. This process tin instrumentality arsenic small arsenic a fewer minutes oregon up to a fewer days if the store contacts your doctor. 
  • Once that process is complete, your order volition beryllium finalized and cleared to vessel straight to you.

How to prevention wealth connected interaction lenses

Pro tip: Right aft your interaction lens exam, it's astir ever worthy it to get a year's proviso of your existent prescription. Regardless of whether you're buying regular disposable contacts, monthly lenses oregon adjacent multifocal contacts, buying successful bulk volition assistance you prevention money.

If your medicine changes sometime during that year, galore of the retailers supra volition let you to exchange unopened boxes with a caller prescription. You don't person overmuch to suffer by buying a afloat twelvemonth supply. Though it tin beryllium a higher up-front cost, you'll prevention wealth implicit buying 1 container astatine a time. 

Tips to bargain contacts online

If you are considering buying contacts online, support these things successful caput to guarantee you marque a harmless purchase.

  • Be definite to person a valid medicine from your oculus doctor. Whether you bargain successful a store oregon online, a medicine is required to guarantee you get the close medicine strength.
  • Shop astir astatine antithetic online contacts retailers to find the champion deals and look astatine lawsuit reviews.
  • Double- and triple-check the details connected your bid earlier placing.
  • Make definite you person (or besides purchase) each of the attraction supplies you request to guarantee the information and longevity of your contacts.

Best online contacts FAQ

Yes. 1-800 Contacts is simply a existent online retailer. They are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and each lenses are FDA approved.

Are contacts harmless to bargain online?

Most online retailers that merchantability contacts are safe. Just beryllium definite that they fulfill your nonstop prescription.

Can I bid contacts online with an expired prescription?

No. It is amerciable to merchantability interaction lenses to anyone without a valid prescription.

Do you request a medicine to bargain contacts online?

Yes. Contact lenses are aesculapian devices that necessitate a medicine for you to acquisition them -- either online oregon successful person. Before you commencement shopping, you'll archetypal request to get an oculus exam and interaction lens medicine from your optician oregon optometrist. An oculus doc tin assistance you find the champion medicine lenses for your circumstantial needs, whether that's regular contacts, brushed lenses, hard lenses, lenses for astigmatism oregon multifocal lenses.

What's the champion spot to bargain contacts online?

With truthful galore stores to take from, however bash you prime wherever to bargain your contacts online? Here are immoderate things to consider: 

  • Price: Do immoderate examination buying to fig retired which store has the champion terms for your circumstantial lenses. Prices tin alteration often owed to sales, promotions and shaper rebates, truthful the store that had the champion woody past twelvemonth mightiness not person the lowest terms now.
  • Return policy: Many of the stores supra let you to instrumentality unopened boxes of contacts if your medicine changes. Check the presumption of the store you're reasoning of buying from to recognize your options.
  • Insurance coverage: Some online interaction lens stores let you to wage done your imaginativeness insurance, immoderate bash not. If that's important to you, look for shops that judge your benefits.

Is it costly to bargain contacts online?

Contact lenses tin beryllium expensive. But you tin prevention wealth by shopping for contacts online.  

Disposable contacts volition outgo you much wealth successful the agelong tally implicit a brace of glasses. For example, Acuvue Oasys, 1 of the astir fashionable marque of brushed lenses, mean astir $25 to $40 for a container of 12 lenses astatine the stores above. That container of 12 is capable for 3 months (one lens per eye, thrown distant each 2 weeks). That adds up to astir $160 per twelvemonth for contacts. 

The afloat retail terms for a 12-pack of Acuvue Oasys is listed arsenic $90 on Lenscrafters.com, truthful you basal to prevention rather a batch of wealth by buying astir online.

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The accusation contained successful this nonfiction is for acquisition and informational purposes lone and is not intended arsenic wellness oregon aesculapian advice. Always consult a doc oregon different qualified wellness supplier regarding immoderate questions you whitethorn person astir a aesculapian information oregon wellness objectives.

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