What do you need to be able to buy contact lenses? what kind of prescription?

Question

I know that you require a prescription within 1 year to buy contact lenses. However, I already have measurement for my eyes (base curve, diameter) on my previous contact lens boxes. So can i just get an eye exam just for testing my refraction/power ? What i actually need are the refraction...I have my eye size measurement on the boxes of my previous lens.

Or do I still have to get a prescription which lists my :
- refraction/power
- eye size

to be able to buy lens?

Answer 1

all doctors require an exam witin a year to sell contacts, however there are a lot of web sites that sell contacts. I have not had an exam for 4 years now and buy mine from costalcontacts.com and they are much cheaper tham the doctors office too

Answer 2

If your contact lens vendor is worth a darn, they will attempt to verify that your prescription is correct and not expired. However, there are many sellers who just want your money and could care less if you go blind.

A regular exam is ESPECIALLY important for contact lens wearers to verify that the fit of the previous lens is indeed good (no evidence of corneal scarring), that your eyes are responding OK to the lenses (blood vessels aren't growing into your cornea due to oxygen deprivation), and that protein buildup isn't forming on your eye.

Also, note that your prescription for glasses doesn't necessarily match the prescription for contact lenses. Account must be taken for the distance of the lens to your eye, available lens parameters, and how the lens rotates on your eye from where markings on the lens may be, for example.

So, while you can probably order some lenses off the cuff or pull some tricks to go longer between eye exams, it generally isn't worth it.

Answer 3

http://www.lenscompare.com
some of merchants don't need prescription. If your current contact lenses have the right power, you can keep the same power.

Answer 4

you still need to get a perscription what I do to keep from going in one year is I try to buy an extra box of contacts as "backup" to get me through an extra couple of months