Over 35 million people in the United States have opted for the use of contact lenses, over other means of vision correction - the main reason being the advantage in terms of vision improvement and convenience of wear. The problem, however, is where to purchase them from, as it is not very easy to do so. Of late, more and more people are turning towards online sources for their purchase of contact lenses. One of the major advantages of buying contact lenses on the Internet is the ease with which you can source your requirements from the comforts of your home.

The Convenience Of Buying Online
No more, the inconvenience of making that trip to the local pharmacy, every time you need to replace your contact lenses. With the type of busy lifestyles that many people have, they may not find it convenient to repeatedly visit the local pharmacy or a merchandiser, every time they need their contact lenses replaced, especially as most contact lenses available today are disposables, whether one day disposables, 1 to 2 week disposables, or 30 day disposable contact lenses.

With the kind of premium many place on their time, online buying saves them time, as it takes a few minutes to reorder their lenses, once they have their prescription. Through the Internet, you have the advantage of gathering price and other information from a variety of online sources, comparing the same, and taking your pick of the best offer. You can compare price, shipping costs, delivery times, and quantity discounts, in addition to rebates and special offers, if any, among other information, from the reputed online contact lenses sources.

There are many other advantages of buying contact lenses on the Internet. Let us look at some of the advantages that online purchasing offers.

Buying Less Expensive Contact Lenses
Other than the convenience of buying from the comforts of your home, through the Internet you can source contact lenses from a multitude of suppliers and buy from the least expensive source.

However, keep in mind the subtle difference between contact lenses being ‘less expensive’ and ‘value’ of the contact lenses. To get the better value, look to buy contact lenses from reputable online sources. Reputed manufacturers of contact lenses will allow reputable online websites to display their brand logo. If you are still looking for further less expensive contact lenses, go for generic options available, in place of branded products.

According to a March 2004 report from the Federal Trade Commission, their survey “ . . . indicates that there is not a significant difference in price between mass merchandisers and Internet lens sellers, online sales may have a significant convenience advantage for some consumers.”

Buying online saves you the multiple trips to a ‘mass merchandiser,’ if your prescription is not available on your first visit, and you may have to wait in line, too.

Discount Contact Lenses
Through the Internet, it becomes easy for you to search for contact lenses websites that supply most brands of reputed contact lenses, at highly discounted prices. When compared to the prices you can buy them at from the shops in your neighborhood, you will find that the price difference is as much as 50 percent to 70 percent. These websites can afford to sell at such discounted prices as they, on an average, sell tens of thousands of a variety of contact lenses globally, each month.

Daily disposable contact lenses, bifocal lenses, contact lenses for astigmatism, special effect contact lenses for special occasions - such as Halloween or Valentine’s Day – and a variety of other contact lenses from a myriad of manufacturers, including reputed manufacturers, such as Acuvue, or CIBA Vision, can be purchased at heavily discounted prices.

Even after considering the shipping costs involved, buying contact lenses on the Internet is always a bargain, though in most cases shipping is free, and the delivery is efficient. The main reason why online contact lens sellers are able to offer you such unbeatable prices is that they hardly have any overhead. Every time you make a purchase on the Internet you save quite a bundle, and with the number of times you need to fill your prescription for disposable contact lenses, your savings can be tremendous.

The Choice From A Large Selection
When buying your contact lenses from conventional sources, your choice for selection is very limited. Most merchandisers will have limited stocks from limited suppliers, limiting your choice.

The Internet offers you a variety that is endless. You have the convenience of selecting from all the major manufacturers of contact lenses, and comparing their various features. If you are shopping for non-prescription, costume contact lenses with no corrective power, the choice for selection can be mind-boggling. There is never a question of your ‘choice’ being out of stock, as you can always find it at any of the many online stores.

If you are looking for branded color contact lenses, such as from Acuvue, or CIBA Vision, they are always available, and you can have your selection delivered to you in a matter of days.

Even with your prescription contact lenses, the selection is wide enough for you to fill your prescription with ease. Get yourself a prescription from your optometrist, go online, browse through the various websites, select the contact lenses that you like, and hit the button. That is all it takes.

A Word Of Caution
More and more wearers are seeing the advantages of buying contact lenses on the Internet. Still you need to approach the online sources with a bit of caution. Ensure that you are buying online only from reputed sources, and not from some ‘fly-by-night’ operation. You may be getting ‘cheaper’ contact lenses from some sources, but ensure that they are legal and above board.

When you visit a website selling contact lenses, look for that Verisign logo. This will ensure that your personal information -including credit card information, among other forms of payment - cannot be intercepted by any third party.

Use the same common sense you would use when buying anything from online sources for a great online shopping experience.