Always buy from a reputable company; you can buy discount contact lenses without a prescription, but the company is selling you a prescription device as if it were an over-the-counter device, in violation of FTC regulations - selling you lenses without having a prescription from you. Now it's easy to order the perfect contact lenses online at a great discount. Ophthalmologists (M.D. or D.O.) are eye surgeons who study and treat eye diseases and can also perform the duties of optometrists; optometrists (O.D.) examine eyes, diagnose and treat vision problems, and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses and in most states they also can prescribe medicine; opticians grind and dispense eyeglasses and in some states dispense contact lenses.

Before you buy contact lenses from anyone other than your eye care professional, it pays to be a wise consumer. You'll want to take simple precautions to make any lens purchase safe and effective.

Although easier to handle and less likely to tear, rigid gas permeable lenses are not as comfortable initially as soft contacts and it may take a few weeks to get used to wearing the RGPs, compared to just a few days for soft contacts. With planned-replacement lenses, the doctor works out a replacement schedule tailored to the needs of each patient. Extended wear contact lenses are used for overnight or continuous wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days.

Extended wear lenses are usually soft contact lenses; made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Extra-thin soft lenses are on the market for very sensitive people. Rigid lenses generally give you more clear vision.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are more durable, resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. Keep in mind contact lenses are often more complex than appears. You can mark rigid lenses to show which lens is for which eye; they don't rip or tear, so they're easy to handle.

Bifocal correction is possible with both soft and rigid lenses. Soft contact lenses are made of soft, flexible plastics that allow for oxygen to pass through to the cornea.

When you place your contact lens order, request the manufacturer's written patient information for your contact lenses; it'll give you important risk and benefit information as well as instructions for use. Carefully check to make sure the company gives you the exact brand you ordered, the name of the lens, the power, sphere, cylinder, if any, axis, if any, diameter base curve, and peripheral curves, if any. Get a feel for how the retailer handles customer service calls; in case you have a problem after your order arrives.

Compare prices - get quotes from two or three online and offline suppliers. Always ask what rebates are available. Check out how long the online supplier has been in business before you buy.

You can buy contact lenses from an eye doctor, on the Internet, from an optical store or a warehouse club. When you receive your order, if you think you've received an incorrect contact lens, check with your doctor or eye care professional right away; don't accept any substitution unless your eye care professional approves it. Make sure you have a current, valid prescription when you order contact lenses.

Don't wear lenses any longer than they're prescribed for, nor when sleeping unless you are otherwise directed. Heat disinfection is the only method effective against the microorganism Acanthamoeba keratitis, a common culprit for contact lens wearers, and it also kills organisms in and on the lens case. Extended-wear rigid lenses can cause unexpected, undesirable, reshaping of the cornea.

Soft extended-wear lenses bind down on the closed eye, but they are porous and allow some tears through during sleep; because they have so little form, their binding has very little effect on the shape of the eye. Microorganisms may be present in distilled water, so always use commercial sterile saline solutions, if you plan to use enzyme tablets in water for disinfections. The FDA has approved extended-wear lenses for use up to seven days before removal for cleaning; but there are risks with use of extended-wear lenses even for one night.

If you haven't had a check-up in the last one or two years, you may have problems with your eyes that you're not aware of, or your contact lenses may not correct your vision as well as you'd like. If you're looking for cheap contact lenses, you may find that cheap materials or other ways of cutting costs will affect the quality you'll want for your precious eyes. Shopping for contacts online will save you a lot of money; contact lenses are deeply discounted.