The online shopping experience is – in many ways – different from making the same purchases from a brick and mortar establishment. While the convenience of browsing, ordering and making shipping arrangements is hard to beat, health related products such as these must be designed specifically for the consumer who’s doing the ordering. With this in mind, there are a number of things to consider when making the decision to buy this type of product via the internet.
Your first step, if course, is to ensure that your prescription is up-to-date. This means that you should have had an eye exam within the last one to two years. In most cases, your contact lenses will be effective, as long as the prescription renewal date is still intact and hasn’t expired. Typically, these are valid for one to two years after your last exam, although some states allow the doctor to determine the expiration date.
It’s highly recommended that you only purchase contact lenses with a valid prescription that was dispensed by your doctor. Some online merchants allow items such as these to be purchased without a confirmed prescription, which can lead to vision problems. Those who wear contact lenses that haven’t been made specifically according to their vision needs run the risk of damaging the eye.
Choosing a reliable establishment for the purchase of online contact lenses is easier if you remember that they should always ask for your eye care physician’s contact information and a copy of your prescription. There are some companies who won’t ask for such things – or will ask, but will never confirm the prescription. If you decide to purchase your contact lenses online, always make a notation to the effect that you will be notifying your doctor, who should expect to receive a confirmation call. Follow-up by making a copy of your ordering information and forwarding it to your doctor’s office. If the company that’s dispensing the contact lenses knows that the doctor has been alerted, they may be more likely to follow the laws that are specific to that type of sale.
Since contact lenses which are not properly fitted to the eye may cause damage, take steps to have your contacts checked by your physician after they’re delivered. Simply make an appointment with your eye care specialist and bring the new contacts with you, so that the prescription and fit can be evaluated. Though this may sound like extra work – and, in some cases, a bit of an extra cost – it’s well worth doing if it saves you from experiencing vision problems as a result of poorly constructed contact lenses.
There’s nothing wrong with purchasing products online – and nearly everyone has done so at one time or another – but greater care needs to be taken when these purchases involve items that relate to your health in any way. Once damaged, your eyes may not be repairable, which may result in blindness. By doing your homework and exercising common sense, you’ll ultimately save yourself a lot of time, trouble and money.
