Contact Lens help

[X and G's mom]

Hello all budget people like myself!
My DD11 is going to be having her annual eye exam next week and wants to get contacts. Are there any cheap but good quality places to get contacts? Also, what else do I have to buy with the contacts? I've never worn glasses or contacts so I have not a clue what to be looking for. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Sleepy]

The eye doc will decide which brand will be the best fit, since they are not all the same. Once you get the prescription, you can do pricing online or try wal-mart, etc. I use online since I have to go through the mail. I have no problem.

She will need a daily solution. The doc will recommend that as well. Not all are the same. She may have to experiment, but I would make sure to check with the doc if the initial brand doesn't work well (sensitive eyes). Depending on the type of contact, she might need a cleaner/disinfectant. That too will be discussed with the doc.

 

[JennSaint]

Just a little warning at age 11 some doctors won't agree to contacts.. But if your DD is very responsible and able to put contacts in all by herself they may allow her to get them. They really don't want young kids wearing contacts for long periods of time. So just thought I'd let you know to prepare her just in case.

 

[Piglet843]

DH buys his online at 1800contacts.com
Cheapest he can get his - easy to use - never had any problems.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

The doc will be discussing contact lense cleaner and daily solution with you. As the PP said, she may have to experiment to find the one for her. It took me trying several different ones before I ended up with the ones I use now.

Be prepared to stay there for a longer time than usual because when I got my first contacts in my 20's, I couldn't leave until I proved to them that I could put the sample pair in and out several times. My hour appointment turned into 2 hours because I had a hard time with that. It didn't take long to get used to doing it once I was using contacts at home.

My DS14 wants contacts instead of glasses. I told him he can't get them until he is at least 16 and can prove to me that he can handle the full regime for them.
He knows I'm serious because I watched him brush his teeth for a week after he got his braces to be sure he was doing it right. He thought I was the meanest Mom in the world.

Does your DD wear glasses now?

 

[maroo]

If you have a Sam's Club - and depending on the brand - you can order contacts from them and it is even cheaper than WalMart.

The eye doctor's receptionist suggested I go to Sam's...and I was not disappointed!

It would probably not be worth getting a membership - if you don't already have one - but the savings was significant for me (I wear the Acuvue Oasis for Astigmatism - which can be pricey).

I also ordered a pair of cheap glasses - with frames they were around $70.00 and were not the cheapest pair. They look nice. I just use them for reading at night or when my eyes get tired. Not a bad price for a decent pair of glasses.

 

[X and G's mom]

She's pretty responsible. I've been preping her for a while now. She's comfortable with putting her finger in her eyes, putting on eyeliner (She's in dance). She even lets me put eyeliner on her
Thanks for the warning though! Something else that I will be talking to her about

I've always got her glasses at Wal-Mart and they have been awesome.

 

[X and G's mom]

The doc will be discussing contact lense cleaner and daily solution with you. As the PP said, she may have to experiment to find the one for her. It took me trying several different ones before I ended up with the ones I use now.

Be prepared to stay there for a longer time than usual because when I got my first contacts in my 20's, I couldn't leave until I proved to them that I could put the sample pair in and out several times. My hour appointment turned into 2 hours because I had a hard time with that. It didn't take long to get used to doing it once I was using contacts at home.

My DS14 wants contacts instead of glasses. I told him he can't get them until he is at least 16 and can prove to me that he can handle the full regime for them.
He knows I'm serious because I watched him brush his teeth for a week after he got his braces to be sure he was doing it right. He thought I was the meanest Mom in the world.

Does your DD wear glasses now?

Yes, she has been wearing glasses for almost 3 years. She will also be getting braces next year.

You're not the meanest mom in the world! My DS12 doesn't have either braces or glasses and I have to watch him brush his teeth AND put deoderant on every day, so I can spare his teachers

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

I agree that Sam's Club is the best place. I priced everywhere and for my contacts it is the cheapest. I have 2 different prescriptions since one eye has an astigmatism and the other doesn't. I also have to buy solution. I also have to have eye drops on hand at all times since my eyes tend to dry out now.

 

[dawson5]

my youngest plays a lot of sports, we had him fitted for contacts for safety reasons. His doctor was of the thinking that it was maturity/responsibility and not age that would determine if he could get them. We discussed when he was 10 and he was fitted at 11 for them. It's been almost a full year without any problems. We also prepared him by giving him an old pair of mine, I let him play with them and handle them so there wouldn't be a fear of tearing but he could realize what it takes to damage them without any real cost to us.

as for contacts, check out visiondirect.com and look for a coupon code. I was sent a link with a % off offer last year after getting my eyes checked and refill on lenses. The savings were considerable over the optometrist (no surprise) and over 1800contacts. I just tried to double check it and 1800contacts does not carry my contacts, when I tried filling in the info it came back as "we don't have, please call..."

I wear bausch & lomb pure vision, a year supply through visiondirect will cost me $101.97 if you use the coupon code 15NEW. This is for 4 boxes of 6. I think that coupon expires on/around 20 Nov.