Like everyone else in my eye-cursed family, I can only see about a foot in front of my face before everything gets blurry. I’ve been seeing with assistance since 9th grade and let me tell ya, my eyesight only gets increasingly worse. Glasses give me headaches, so I’m a contact lens girl for life – or until I get over my fear of lasik surgery.
As someone who’s biggest fear in the zombie apocalypse is running out of contact lenses, I always make sure I am well-stocked. I use “dailies,” which means that each day I use a new pair of contacts that I throw out before bedtime because I am too lazy to clean and re-use them for a whole month. I also have astigmatism (funny shaped eyeballs) and contacts are just constantly flopping out of my eyes, so it’s better for me to use lenses that are easily replaced.
Unfortunately for my high-maintenance self, while regular contacts are expensive, dailies are even more expensive. If you know me, you know I’m not going to settle for a life of expense. I’ve done some extensive research and discovered how to save money on contact lenses; and I’m sharing my secret with you.
My hack for saving money on contact lenses is called…1-800-contacts.
*Insert sounds of angels singing*
I decided to try 1-800 contacts when I found out that they offer an online eye exam. My former prescription renewal method definitely did not consist of semi-illegally using white-out to edit my old contact prescriptions, but if it hypothetically did, the offer of an online exam is music to my eyes. No longer do I have to get white out on my hands – I mean travel to an eye doctor – I can just use a FREE app on my phone
The 1-800-contacts online eye exam was super easy and quick. The exam consists of you standing a measured number of steps away from your computer screen, and answering questions on your phone screen. (Basically instead of reading the letters on the screen out loud like you would in an eye doctor’s office, you log them on your phone).
After a few minutes of pretending not to squint, my exam was done. By the next day, a doctor reviewed it and I had my new prescription!
I excitedly went to use my prescription on 1-800 contacts.com. I was immediately disheartened by the prices. But then I saw, glistening across the webpage, the magical words “Price match guarantee”. I cracked my knuckles and got to googling.
By googling my brand of contacts and perusing the shopping section, I quickly found my contacts at a lower price. I called 1-800 contacts and shared the lower price I’d found. 1-800-contacts stuck to their price match guarantee by beating the price by $1. I ended up saving $60 on 2 boxes of contacts. That’s date night money!
So, to sum it all up: I got a free new prescription and ordered contacts for half of the usual price, all without leaving my house/computer. Not bad at all.
I highly recommend using 1-800-contacts for your online eye exam, and for ordering contacts (with the price match guarantee).
That’s my secret to saving money on contact lenses! I hope this post helps you see clearly, and save some money while you’re at it!