Where is the Best Place to Find Contact Lenses Today? If you wear contacts, you know that keeping up with your contact lenses can be its own full-time job. Whether you get disposables or the more costly long-term options, you'll need to replace your contacts pretty regularly (especially if you're someone who has a frequently-changing prescription). So, if you're considering buying your contact lenses online, you're not alone. It's one of the easiest ways to buy or reorder your eyewear. But finding the right contact lens store to trust with your eyesight? That can be harder.
Poor
For Eyes is one of several contact lens stores in our review that also serves as a one-stop shop for all other eyewear. On top of your contacts, you can grab both eyeglasses and sunglasses (including high fashion brands), making it convenient to shop for everything in one place. For Eyes first got started in 1972 in Philadelphia, PA. It's been around for more than 40 years now and offers both online retail and over 100 brick-and-mortar locations.
73 different products to choose from
Now, there aren't quite as many contacts at For Eyes as you might see at rival contact lens stores. There are about 73 different products to choose from at For Eyes. As for contact brands, you'll find 17 different choices to sift through, including Acuvue, Air Optix, Bausch+Lomb, Biofinity, Biomedics, Dailies, iWear, Precision1, and more. There are only 3 types of lenses though: spheric (single vision) toric (astigmatism), and multifocal. You won't find any color lenses at this retailer. Browsing the options is simple. You can either look through the inventory using the filters or use the search bar to find a particular brand right away.
Costs $61.99 and $78.99 per box full price
When we looked at pricing across different contact lens stores, we used a prescription from a test patient. The prescription included OD -2.25 and OS -3.00, along with a -0.75 CYL in the left eye (astigmatism in that eye). Our test patient prefers Biofinity, so we based our search on that brand, and we looked at normal and astigmatism-correcting lenses as she would normally need to buy a pack of each. Here's what we found:
There are often sales and promos at For Eyes; for instance, at the time of this review, we were offered $23.79 off the astigmatism lenses and $18.60 off the regular ones. The total purchase at For Eyes was $98.68 for one box of each. Plus, with free delivery, costs are much lower. However, this can be dependent on limited-time promotions.
In-network for most insurance
For Eyes accepts insurance from plenty of providers including Aetna, Anthem, Avesis, Cigna, EyeMed, EyeQuest, Humana, NVA, Premier Eye Care, Spectera, VSP, and more. To get your insurance added to your purchase, you can either call For Eyes directly or email its customer service to verify your membership. This is a little more clunky than the verification processes at other contact lens stores. You can also submit a claim directly to your insurance company if you prefer to go the reimbursement route.
Free refunds within 30 days
For Eyes offers a free refund policy which states that you won't pay any fees to return items. You have 30 days from the day you received your contacts to send them back. While the policy doesn't state that your For Eyes contact lenses need to be unopened, it's safe to assume that is the case. Most contact lens stores require that due to the contact lenses being a medical product, but the lack of detail on this from For Eyes was a little disappointing.
Almost no feedback for For Eyes
Regrettably, For Eyes currently holds an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. This is mostly due to unanswered complaints filed against the business. While it gets slightly better ratings on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, a 3.9-star average is still a bit lower than we've seen at other contact lens stores. Plus, compared to some companies that have thousands of customer reviews, For Eyes has under 20 total reviews (which is surprising for a company that's been around so long). There's only one listed review that mentions contact lenses at all, and it said that the customer's purchase was notified as "backordered" and not shipped. While there are some 5-star ratings for glasses and sunglasses purchases, the lack of feedback on contact lenses raises some questions about how popular this site is as a contact lens store, specifically.
Not worth the red flags
At the end of the day, For Eyes doesn't stand out in any category. The regular prices for contacts are higher, there's almost no feedback for its services, and the "F" rating from the BBB is a major red flag. With other contact lens stores out there that offer better pricing and a larger inventory of contact lenses, For Eyes falls to the bottom of the pack in our review of contact lens stores.
Continued from above...
If you wear contacts, you know that keeping up with your contact lenses can be its own full-time job. Whether you get disposables or the more costly long-term options, you'll need to replace your contacts pretty regularly (especially if you're someone who has a frequently-changing prescription). So, if you're considering buying your contact lenses online, you're not alone. It's one of the easiest ways to buy or reorder your eyewear. But finding the right contact lens store to trust with your eyesight? That can be harder.
Before we get into finding the right fit, let's look at the benefits: shopping at an online contact lens store for contacts gives you access to better prices, a wider selection, and the freedom to order from anywhere. You won't have to feel tied to buying your lenses right after your eye exam (because ouch). Instead, you can take the time to think over what you need and take your prescription to the site with the best prices or best fit for your eye shape. The same lenses your eye doctor offers can often be found online at a fraction of the price. Recent research shows that many online contact lens stores take insurance too, which can keep costs down.
Online contact lens stores also tend to offer a much broader selection than local shops. You can find lenses for nearly every prescription and lifestyle. Whether you need extended-wear lenses for astigmatism or just a convenient daily disposable option, chances are you'll find it online. Plus, if you're someone who loves costumes or cosplay (guilty as charged), buying your contacts online is a must. You won't find the colorful selections for prescription cosplay contact lenses at your local optometrist.
Finally, the best contact lens stores will help you keep on top of your prescription. Reordering is simple, and some sites send automatic reminders, while others offer subscription services that ship new lenses on your schedule. That means no more running out or pushing your lenses a few days too far. It's one of the easiest ways to stick to good eye care habits without a lot of stress.
If you're not sure where to take your eyewear needs, don't worry about it. We've done the research to put together a helpful list of factors that can get you started. If you're not sure how to choose, consider the following as you browse the contact lens stores out there:
To help you find the best eyewear for your prescription, Top Consumer Reviews has rated and reviewed the best online contact lens stores available today. This way you can find the perfect fit, stop worrying about how you look with your glasses on in photos, and enjoy that picture-perfect vision you deserve!
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The Latest Trends in Contact Lenses
Contact lenses have come a long way since the earliest blown-glass creations in the late 1880's. It was not until the 1950's that lenses were crafted that could be worn all day. Even so, lenses were fragile and expensive, and contact lens insurance was common.
The cornea in the eye does not contain blood vessels, so oxygen must be directly absorbed by the cornea from the air. In the late 1970's, doctors developed rigid gas permeable lenses that allow oxygen to pass through the lens material. Also in the 1970's, chemists developed contact lenses made from soft, flexible material, and these have become the most popular types.
Current contact lens research is involved in finding ways to increase oxygen transference to the cornea. Scientists are also working on ways to include antimicrobial ingredients in the lenses themselves. This helps with the identification and prevention of conditions resulting from contamination by foreign organisms and reduces bacterial infection.
Contact lenses must be periodically cleaned, then rinsed and disinfected before reuse. Lenses must also be stored in a liquid solution when not being used, for example overnight. In the past, each of these functions was performed by a separate formulation. More recently, multipurpose cleaning solutions have been developed that perform all these functions. There are even devices that clean and disinfect lenses using ultrasonic, ultraviolet, or vibration. The latest multipurpose solutions are effective against bacterial and fungal growth, and include ingredients to increase surface moisture and provide greater comfort to lens wearers.
Other areas of patient compliance also present a challenge. For example, if lenses designed for daily wear are worn overnight, there is an increased risk of corneal infection. The use of daily disposable lenses helps reduce contamination by inadequate cleaning or improper storage. A lens case lined with silver has been developed to help eliminate germs that might come in contact with the lens case.
Perhaps the most radical and exciting development in contact lenses is the work being done to create "bionic lenses". Still in the testing stage, these lenses include electronic circuits and infrared lights incorporated into the lens material itself to create a virtual display similar to a heads-up display in modern aircraft. Scientists are experimenting with using radio signals to power the lenses instead of conventional power sources, like batteries. With a built-in antenna, these lenses could communicate with a personal computer or other electronic device and be used for playing video games, education, training, or perhaps to provide warnings to people who are hearing-impaired.
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