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Buying
Discount Contact Lenses is Easy -
But Getting the Prescription can be a Hassle Discount
contact lenses can be a lot cheaper when you buy them online than through
your eye doctor. Trouble is, some doctors are are reluctant to provide your with
your lens prescriptions because they'd rather keep the profits in their practice
rather then allowing you to get a discount price.
In
one case a person switched to Biocompatible's Proclear Compatibles lenses, which
have a high water content that makes them well-suited to her native Nevada's desert
climate. But her optometrist was uncooperative when she asked about purchasing
contact lenses from another source. He suggested they were not available from
any other source,and he had heard they weren't as highly controlled as those dispensed
through doctors. Discount
Lens vs. Full Retail Price from Your Eye Doctor Both
of these assertion were untrue. The patient got on the Internet and found discount
contact lenses on several Web sites for $35.95 for a box of six pairs. (Her doctor
was charging $50 a box.) The patient said her doctor told her that lenses offered
by places like 1-800-Contacts may have failed manufacturers' quality checks. Bausch
& Lomb, Johnson & Johnson and other lensmakers say there's no difference
in quality between the lenses sold through doctors and those sold directly to
consumers. STATES
CRACK DOWN. Attorneys general in 32 states have sued the American Optometric Association
and two of the top contact-lens manufacturers (Vistakon, a division of Johnson
& Johnson, and Bausch & Lomb), alleging that the AOA tried to get manufacturers
to agree to sell disposable lenses only through optometrists or other eye-care
professionals. The attorneys general say they also have evidence that doctors
agreed to withhold prescriptions from people who sought to buy lenses from other
sources, despite the fact that at least 22 states have laws requiring eye doctors
to give out contact lens prescriptions upon request. BE
PERSISTENT. What should you do if you have trouble getting your prescription from
your eye doctor? Your state attorney general's office should be able to tell you
whether your state requires doctors to give out prescriptions. If yours doesn't,
try reassuring your doctor that you will not neglect necessary follow-up visits,
or ask him or her to match prices you've found at an online or mail-order source.
Before making your appointment ask if they will provide you with the prescription
in order to purchase discount contacts. When
comparing prices, be sure to factor in any shipping charges that add to your mail-order
costs. Also check the expiration date when you get your lenses to make sure they
haven't expired. (Check out the offers on FREE
contact lenses) |