Thank goodness for Acuvue R&D and Marketing Department who in 1988 made soft disposable contact lenses available to the masses to buy, replacing uncomfortable rigid plastic lenses. Today the Acuvue brand is one of the most trusted and recognised worldwide. They continue to be at the forefront of new developments in materials, designs and formulations improving vision, comfort and eye health.
You can easily buy Acuvue contact lenses online or in optical retail stores; however in both these retail outlets a Contact Lens Prescription is required, prior to purchasing. You might be interested to know that a Contact Lens Prescription is different from a spectacle prescription. It often features different powers, as the lens sits on the cornea rather than in a frame on your nose; a BC or base curve measurement which indicates the curvature of the lens which is matched to the front curvature of the eye; the DIA or diameter which is the measurement across the lens, as the human eye comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. All these details on your contact lens prescription are needed in order for your prescription to be filled; it’s the same as going to the chemist with a prescription for medication.
Many optical retail stores hold stocks Acuvue lenses in sphere powers only but if you require toric lenses for astigmatism, multifocal lenses or the Acuvue Define lenses that enhance the eyes you will have to wait few days while the store orders them in for you. Buying contact lenses online is a simpler procedure. You have access to the full range of Acuvue lenses, all you need to do is enter your contact lens prescription details and your order can be filled and dispatched to you the same day. For metro areas, many customers enjoy delivery of their lenses to their door the next business day.
If you are in a health fund with optical cover, the retail store will be able to process your claim via Hiccups, on the spot. Online stores are unable to do this, unfortunately as health fund cards are not like a credit card where the transaction or in this case claim, can be processed remotely. In saying that if you are buying your contact lenses online from an Australian website, they will provide a Health Fund claimable receipt that can be submitted to your fund so you can claim your rebate.
Sometimes Acuvue contact lenses powers can be out of stock at the suppliers, this status effects retail and online stores alike, as we all use the same Australian supplier, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. This is can be an annoying inconvenience and a good retailer will supply you with some free lenses to get you through this delay period.
The majority of contact lenses these days are made from soft, flexible plastic material and so are not immune to faults in manufacture. Obviously quality control checks are conducted, but many are not discovered until the patient opens the individual blister pack. If you experience a fault with your lenses report it to your retailer, it’s a good idea to save the faulty lens, even if you have to store it in water, as it may be required. In most cases faults only usually affect 1 or 2 lenses in a box and a good retailer will provide replacements.
Successfully buying your contact lenses online relies on the correct lens being selected and the correct prescription details being entered. If you are unsure a good online retailer will clearly feature a phone number on the website so you can call them and they’ll happily place the order for you. If the incorrect lenses do happen to be ordered, it’s not the end of the world, they can be returned as long as they’re unopened and are returned undamaged.
Where you buy your contact lenses from is your decision, you might prefer to go to another store or online, you are not tied or committed to the eye care professional who provided you with a contact lens prescription.
