Vision
Contact Lenses, Explained Plainly
Which lens for your eyes, how many boxes a year really takes, where the price gaps are, and how rebates and prescription renewal work. Every guide is written to help you ask better questions — of the seller and of your eye doctor.
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Lens guides
Three ground rules for buying contacts
- The prescription is the law. Contact lenses are medical devices in the US — every legitimate seller verifies your prescription, and any seller that does not is one to avoid.
- Fit before bulk. Never buy an annual supply of a lens you have not worn through a fitting. The fitting is cheap; a year of the wrong lens is not.
- Keep the exam. Online sellers fill prescriptions — they do not examine eyes. The comprehensive eye exam is the medical part of this whole process.