Any eye specialists out there? Contact lenses question

[mousefan73]

Hi!
My son got an eye exam and we have the numbers here. Long story short, he has always wanted contacts, is going on a ski trip next week, and realized contacts will be better with ski goggles. I called our local eye place and they are full and closed for the holidays. I know he will want soft monthlys. my question is..
if I have the numbers is it safe and ok for me to order a pair online ( they do that here in Germany).
numbers I have are:
-1,25 spär/-0,25 cyl 150 axel ( think)
-1,75/-0,50/7

of course once back we go to place, but I am wondering if there is harm done.I am a contact wearer so I can help him get them in and out. I think with a glasses prespriction the contact needs to be adjusted too. but dont they have to measure his diameter?

 

[GreatLakes]

I always get two prescriptions, one for glasses and one for contacts. They are not always the same and are marked as such. I wouldn't be able to use my glasses prescription to order contacts. If you do have a contact prescription I see no reason not to order them online but back when I initially started wearing contacts I had some loners I wore for a little while before I ordered anything. That way I could go back to the doctor and get a different model if the ones I was trying didn't work.

 

[fla4fun]

A contact exam and a glasses exam are different. They do have to take special measurements of the eyeball in addition to calculating the prescription for vision correction. You need to know what numbers you have. They may be the numbers for the vision correction only, which would not be enough to order contact lenses from another party.

I am in the USA, where we can also order contacts by mail, but to me, your numbers look like a glasses prescription, not a contacts prescription. I could be mistaken due to country differences, but that is what it looks like to me.

 

[sam_gordon]

I know every time I've ordered contacts, my prescription had to be less than a year old.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Hundred of kinds of contacts - all fit different - been wearing soft going over 40 years - wish it was that easy but alas it’s not - sorry to say he needs a contact visit and try out a few kinds to find what fits and what he’s comfortable wearing and can see best out of - I do hood in spite of this you enjoy your holiday
Having wore glasses for years I understand where your coming from

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'd call one of the online suppliers for help, they usually know exactly what they are doing.

If you have a child or young adult look for a place that lets you return unused ones for credit towards a new prescription because it changes all the time. We happened to use a big online store and when I was renewing I commented how many were being wasted and they informed me this exchange is part of the business model. I can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars this has saved us through the years.

 

[DisneyHardin]

As people have said, your doctor has to prescribe a certain brand. The doctor will have your son try on one or more brands in the office and then the prescription will be for that specific brand.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My eye doctor wants to see the contacts in your eyes for fit and prescription. If the prescription hasn't changed they don't but for your son it would be the first time he would be wearing them. They have different types of soft lenses not all work for every person. And it can be a trial and error. You can order them online here too with your prescription but without knowing how any one brand of contact fits you're basically putting the cart before the horse here just for a ski trip.

I have an astigmatism in one of my eyes (lost it in the other) and it was long ago told to me that dailies would not be the best for me although that was a long time ago and tech has changed so who knows now.

My contact lenses that I had worn for close to 2 decades suddenly they stopped advising to wear them as monthly and instead for eye health wear them every 2 weeks. My eye doctor was fine with me wearing them monthly after looking over my eye during my yearly exam but I also don't wear my contacts daily like I used to. If I did I would probably go down to 2 weeks. One of my lenses is an old school one that isn't quite as breathable in the material but is better for those with astigmatism which is the one they recommend only wearing every 2 weeks as opposed to monthly. I technically wear two different brands: Bausch-Lomb and CooperVision.

Just a notation about skiing wind can dry out your contacts fast.

 

[nw6675]

I'd call one of the online suppliers for help, they usually know exactly what they are doing.

If you have a child or young adult look for a place that lets you return unused ones for credit towards a new prescription because it changes all the time. We happened to use a big online store and when I was renewing I commented how many were being wasted and they informed me this exchange is part of the business model. I can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars this has saved us through the years.

And will price match. Every time I order I text them and say Walmart is cheaper, they look it up, give me that price minus a few bucks and free shipping.

 

[SharonZ]

I agree with the others who said you need to have a separate contact lens fitting appointment, and that the prescription for glasses is not the same. Also even with a correct prescription. there is probably little chance that you would have them in time for his trip.

 

[mrodgers]

No one will sell you contacts without a prescription specifically for contacts. They contact your eye doctor to verify. At least this is in the US.

Once I have the contact exam and prescription, I can order contacts anywhere I want.

 

[patiltina1990]

Unfortunately, contact lens prescriptions are not interchangeable with glasses prescriptions. You can tell the difference because contact lens prescriptions will always include three vital bits of information that will be missing from your glasses prescription. These are: base curve measurement, diameter measurement and the recommended lens. Your optician will also prescribe the exact lens brand and product for you to wear. So, you really shouldn’t buy contact lenses without first having it approved by your optician.

Contact lenses will definitely give you the freedom you’re looking for when you’re doing physical activities like skiing, so it’s worth it. I am a Contact Lens Optician and an enthusiastic skier who wears contact lenses, so I am conflicted. I love the full range of vision of contact lenses when I’m going down the slope! Having said that, wearing contact lenses near snow does comes with risks. A good quality pair of ski goggles or wraparound sunglasses are a must – whether you wear contact lenses or not! You need to feel confident that your eyewear is secure and I would recommend wearing daily disposables for a more hygienic option. Buying prescription ski goggles or specially designed sports glasses might be an even better option for those who are worried about contact lenses.