Contact Lenses

[Martha in GA]

My ds18 is interested in getting contact lenses, especially now that he has to wear a mask at work. I realize we need to go to the optometrist to get a prescription. Do you then buy the contacts at your opticians, or do you shop for a better price? Or are prices pretty standard? Do you get a year's supply at one time? Are there different kinds of contact lenses? I have no experience with contact lenses (obviously), so any help/advice you can give me would be most appreciated!

[Arctic Bunny]

I would get the contacts fitted somewhere reputable. There are different kinds, some fit better than others, and are more comfortable. Eyes are different. Once you know what brand, etc, works for you, buy them from your least expensive option. I would not buy a large amount until you know for sure you’re going to wear them.

[Martha in GA]

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19 minutes ago, arctic_bunny said:

I would get the contacts fitted somewhere reputable. There are different kinds, some fit better than others, and are more comfortable. Eyes are different. Once you know what brand, etc, works for you, buy them from your least expensive option. I would not buy a large amount until you know for sure you’re going to wear them.

 

So would the eye doctor try different kinds of lenses until he found one that works for my ds?

[Ailaena]

4 minutes ago, Martha in GA said:

So would the eye doctor try different kinds of lenses until he found one that works for my ds?

yes.  Especially if he has not had them before since everybody’s body seems to have their own preference.

we started buying online because they have the rebate forms and are nearly always 1/3 less!

[gardenmom5]

I only bought lenses from the opticial dept to make sure they fit, because if they needed to make a change - I could exchange them.  then, it was wherever I could find the best deal.  Costco, or online.

 

[amyx4]

In our experience, dailies are the most expensive, then two weeks, then the monthlies are the least expensive. During the appointment be sure to ask for samples of the types that fits your budget.

The script is written for dailies or two week or monthly.  We cannot switch once we go shopping without getting a new Rx written. 

At the appointment, we get charged for both an eye exam and a contact lens fitting.

[Martha in GA]

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In our experience, dailies are the most expensive, then two weeks, then the monthlies are the least expensive. During the appointment be sure to ask for samples of the types that fits your budget.

Is there a disadvantage to getting monthlies? I would think my ds would love not to have to worry about them for a month -- or is there some maintenance involved with the longer wear contacts?

[Just Kate]

Recently, my optometrist has had mail-in rebates for my lenses, so it ended up being less expensive to order from him. I’ve also purchased through 1-800-contacts, which has worked well too. 

[hippiemamato3]

45 minutes ago, Martha in GA said:

Is there a disadvantage to getting monthlies? I would think my ds would love not to have to worry about them for a month -- or is there some maintenance involved with the longer wear contacts?

You generally have to take them out every night and clean them/soak them. 

Edited May 11, 2020 by hippiemamato3

[Arctic Bunny]

43 minutes ago, Martha in GA said:

Is there a disadvantage to getting monthlies? I would think my ds would love not to have to worry about them for a month -- or is there some maintenance involved with the longer wear contacts?

The most important thing is the fit. They should feel comfortable on the eye, they shouldn’t slide around when you blink, etc. They will feel weird in the way that things look different (I remember walking down the sidewalk when I first got contacts and feeling like I had to step higher, or something. Weird, but you get used to it). But they shouldn’t hurt or scratch or float.

My son decided to get contacts last year. We went to Costco and the optician tried out several brands, then gave him a sample pack. He had to go back and demonstrate that he could insert and remove them comfortably before they would give him more. He used them while we were on vacation, but they aren’t really his thing at the moment.

[teachermom2834]

I use monthlies (one pair taken out each night for a month and then replaced with a fresh set). My dd who started wearing them at 11yo wears dailies. The dailies are easier and less fuss for a kid and the expense is not as much more as I expected it would be. She doesn’t even wear them seven days a week (she will not wear them if she doesn’t have an activity like dance made more convenient with them). So, for her, dailies make sense. I’d prefer dailies but I’m pretty responsible and have been wearing contacts for 30 years so the monthlies make more sense for me financially. But dailies are a great option and they aren’t as much more as they used to be. Definitely compare.

I used to order online but then I started getting them at Pearle Vision where I get fitted. It has just been easier and when I checked it was either the same cost or close to ordering online. My vision has been changing a lot the last couple years and this makes it easy to return a box if my prescription should change before I wear them. 
 

A prescription is good for only a year vs the two for glasses so one tip is to be aware of when your prescription will be up and order some before your prescription runs out (I know this is the part where someone will come along and say you shouldn’t do that because it is important to have an exam once a year). If I’m comfortable with my prescription and not having problems I have been known to order an extra box right before my prescription runs out just to buy myself a little more time to get in for an exam. I wouldn’t buy them way ahead though because prescriptions and eye health and available products do change.
 

 

[Bambam]

It depends. 

All my family members wear contacts. We go get checked and an updated prescription every year. 
The one wear soft contacts get a free trail pair if their prescription changes. They wear these for ~ a week, and then call to let the doctor know if that prescription is good or needs tweaking and if that brand of contact is comfortable. Our eye insurance covers so much $$ - so we purchase enough boxes to cover those.  If we need any more boxes for the year, we purchase online (so much cheaper). Our eye doctor will offer a free refund on any unopened box purchased from them. 

I wear gas permeable contacts. My vision is bad, and GP contacts offer sharper clarity (which I want). I can order a second set online for much cheaper than the eye doctor, but I've never done that since I order a pair - which the insurance benefit mostly covers (I end up paying like $15 for a pair which lasts all year). 

When one young adult to get her eyes checked and needed new contacts, we called the eye doctor, who offered a free pair until her appointment and still have her another free trial pair after the appointment (prescription change).  DH tried to order her some new contacts first, but the online contact company refused since the prescription was older than one year. 

 

[katilac]

They should have him try the lenses on at the office. Yes, they will try a different pair if the first one doesn't seem comfortable or quite right. Still, with monthlies, do not order a supply until he has worn them at home for a few days. I have no idea what they do about dailies, I'm sure you have to buy a certain amount. 

I've always found dailies to cost a good bit more than monthlies, and it isn't worth it to me. I wear contacts daily.  I find they rip so easily, too.

For monthlies, I wash my hands, take my contacts out, rinse them lightly, put them in the case and cover with no rub solution. In the morning, take them out, rinse them, insert them, rinse and air dry the case. I probably clean them once a week or so, which is just rubbing them a bit. Put lens in palm, squirt solution, rub a few seconds, rinse and store. Change the case every six months or so - they sell boxes of cases now so you can change it every month, but I've read the reasoning and it seems like crazy overkill to me. The lenses almost always last longer than a month, and I've never had an eye infection in 40 years of wearing them (god, I'm old). I have six cats and live in a high pollen area, so definitely lots of irritants to deal with, but the solution does its job. 

Now, if someone finds this an onerous process, if they have a dirty sink area, or they're going to be careless about washing hands or whatever, you want dailies. Eye infections are no joke.

You may have to poke around a bit to find the best price, it can depend on brand and style. For me, Costco is substantially cheaper than online vendors like 1800Contacts. The savings for 12 months of contacts pays for the Costco membership (and I'm another one who usually ekes out 18 months). It looks like CVS has very competitive pricing on mine as well, but I haven't ordered from them yet. 

The current situation with Covid might have me considering dailies over monthlies, but I truly don't know if it would be an actual advantage.

 

[katilac]

I found an announcement from the American Optometric Association which addresses the safety of wearing contacts at this time, and they do not mention dailies vs monthlies.

[Martha in GA]

I thought a while back that I'd heard about "extended wear" contacts that you could sleep in? Were there problems with infections? Or are those the gas permeable contacts?

I could see my DS not needing/wanting to wear contacts every day, depending on what he is doing on that day...if he had monthlies and didn't wear them every day, would they be good for 30 days of wear, or would it be 30 days regardless of whether or not he was wearing them? Maybe dailies would work better for that situation? I don't think our insurance will pay for any of it.

I really appreciate everyone who has chimed in!

Martha

[GoodGrief]

Contact lens wearer with dry eyes since the early 80s and mom to 3 contact lens wearers 🙂

If lens wear is possibly only going to be intermittent, disposable single use dailies would be the likely best choice. No worries about them sitting in possibly contaminated storage fluid for a period of time. I like the "moist" version of the disposable dailies. Even if one wears contacts every day, like I do, disposable dailies are generally the most comfortable with the lowest risk of complications, like infections.

The cons with dailies is that they are more expensive, and you do not want to sleep in them. They can be uncomfortable by the end of the day, and you may need to pop in a fresh pair if extended use is desired.

There are extended wear versions of lenses, but the rates of complications go up significantly with those.

Edited May 11, 2020 by GoodGrief

[lynn]

I get the prescription from my optometrist office and order from Contact Lens King.  Their prices are less than any place I have looked up.

[Syllieann]

If he is only going to use them intermittently I think you would want dailies to save all the hassle of cleaning and storing.  Plus, if one gets torn, lost, or contaminated with chlorinated water (hello, summer) you just grab a new one.  With monthlies it gets expensive when that happens.  Just fyi, if he has an astigmatism more than .75 diopters you are looking at having an entirely different conversation than month vs dailies.  Soft toric contacts aren't fabulous and gas permeable aren't a great choice for intermittent wear.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Syllieann

[katilac]

2 hours ago, lynn said:

I get the prescription from my optometrist office and order from Contact Lens King.   

I am amused just thinking about what their ads might be like. 

34 minutes ago, Syllieann said:

If he is only going to use them intermittently I think you would want dailies to save all the hassle of cleaning and storing.  Plus, if one gets torn, lost, or contaminated with chlorinated water (hello, summer) you just grab a new one.  With monthlies it gets expensive when that happens.   

I'm not sure what you mean exactly by contaminated with chlorinated water, but my contacts get wet in the pool all the time. It rarely irritates my eyes at all, and there's no need to grab a new one. 

[Syllieann]

13 minutes ago, katilac said:

I am amused just thinking about what their ads might be like. 

I'm not sure what you mean exactly by contaminated with chlorinated water, but my contacts get wet in the pool all the time. It rarely irritates my eyes at all, and there's no need to grab a new one. 

Most manufacturers recommend replacing it if it's exposed to chlorine.  I'm sure there are many, many people who disregard that advice and nothing bad happens.  On the whole though, incidence of infection increases.

[katilac]

11 minutes ago, Syllieann said:

Most manufacturers recommend replacing it if it's exposed to chlorine.  I'm sure there are many, many people who disregard that advice and nothing bad happens.  On the whole though, incidence of infection increases.

I generally think of myself as really cautious with my contacts, but now you're reminded me that I always swim with them, and I've been known to shower with them and occasionally stick them in my mouth (when something's on them and no solution is at hand), lol. 

I mean, I'm not much of a swimmer, it's more like I get in the pool with them. 

[Martha in GA]

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2 hours ago, Syllieann said: If he is only going to use them intermittently I think you would want dailies to save all the hassle of cleaning and storing.  Plus, if one gets torn, lost, or contaminated with chlorinated water (hello, summer) you just grab a new one.  With monthlies it gets expensive when that happens.  Just fyi, if he has an astigmatism more than .75 diopters you are looking at having an entirely different conversation than month vs dailies.  Soft toric contacts aren't fabulous and gas permeable aren't a great choice for intermittent wear. It looks like his last exam had him at 0.75 diopters...so, if it gets worse, then contact lenses aren't going to work for him? Or, he would need special contacts that would be much more expensive (which won't work for us parents, lol)?

 

[katilac]

Make sure you are looking at the correct listing. Your astigmatism will be listed in diopters but so will your degree of near- or far-sightedness. 

"Sphere" is the column that indicates lens power; plus sign means farsighted, minus sign means nearsighted. 

"Cylinder" is the column that indicates the lens power for astigmatism; if the column is empty, you have little to no astigmatism to correct.  If you have astigmatism, your vision will be blurry whether near or far (more or less depending on degree of astigmatism). 

fwiw, I wear multifocal contact lenses. My eyeglass prescription is -3.0 and -3.75 for sphere, -.50 and -.75 for cylinder. I paid about $300 for a year's worth from 1800Contacts and now pay about $250 from Costco. 

I can't do without glasses, so that's another expense.

[Syllieann]

59 minutes ago, Martha in GA said:

 

Toric soft lenses are more expensive and patient satisfaction is lower because there can be some rotation.  For his rx, they will probably do something called the spherical equivalent and just put him in regular soft lenses.  His vision just won't be quite as crisp as with glasses or gas permeable. If he doesn't usually have problems with glasses, I would guess he would only want the contacts when the glasses were impractical, which would make me lean toward dailies.

[Martha in GA]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:43 PM, katilac said:

"Cylinder" is the column that indicates the lens power for astigmatism; if the column is empty, you have little to no astigmatism to correct.  If you have astigmatism, your vision will be blurry whether near or far (more or less depending on degree of astigmatism). 

Yeah, he has -0.75 in both the left and right eyes for cylinder.  

[Reefgazer]

On 5/11/2020 at 10:29 AM, Martha in GA said:

My ds18 is interested in getting contact lenses, especially now that he has to wear a mask at work. I realize we need to go to the optometrist to get a prescription. Do you then buy the contacts at your opticians, or do you shop for a better price? Or are prices pretty standard? Do you get a year's supply at one time? Are there different kinds of contact lenses? I have no experience with contact lenses (obviously), so any help/advice you can give me would be most appreciated!

I get my original prescription from the doctor, then re-order through an online supplier; the online supplier is much cheaper.

[easypeasy]

We buy a whole year's worth through the optometrist. Mainly bc they will let us bring in any unopened boxes the following year and replace those with the new prescription. So, mixed with glasses-wearing, one "year's" supply lasts each of us 2+ years. 
 

We get our glasses elsewhere, though. Just never found what we liked at the optometrist's office. 

[katilac]

23 hours ago, easypeasy said:

Mainly bc they will let us bring in any unopened boxes the following year and replace those with the new prescription.  

Dang, nice!