What to Expect When Buying Contact Lenses for the First Time

It is a scenario happening in optometrist offices all over the world. People are sitting in angst in the waiting room, wondering what the process of getting contact lenses is going to be like. Will they hurt putting them on? Will they be expensive? Will they actually correct the vision like glasses?

Of course, once the actual process of buying the contact lenses is over, they see that their worries were without merit. This article will explain all you need to know about what happens when you go about buying contact lenses for the first time. It will also address any concerns or myths a new contact wearer might have.

The first thing that happens when you buy contact lenses is really no different than when you buy glasses… they will receive an eye exam from the optometrist. During the eye exam the optometrist will ask the patient to read from an eye chart. He or she will then use various instruments to examine the eye, painlessly I might add.

One of the most annoying is an instrument that blows air into the eye. There is slight discomfort for a second or so, but that’s about it. This test checks for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition characterized by increased intraocular pressure (pressure within the eye).

The exam concludes with the optometrist testing out different types of lenses to see which one a person best sees out of. These of course are not contact lenses, but those similar to what are used in glasses. The information obtained from this test is still applicable for contact lenses.

After the exam the optometrist will make preparations to provide the contact lenses. Sometimes a patient may have to make another visit before they can get their lenses; other times the optometrist can provide at least a week’s worth of contacts for the patient. This is especially the case if you planning to wear disposables.

Once the optometrist gets the lenses ready, they will explain to you the proper way of putting them on. It is very important that you pay attention, because if you do not put them on properly or if you don’t clean them, they can cause problems in your eye.

To buy more contact lenses in the future, you can continue to get them from your optometrist or you can consider buying them online with a prescription. The downside to the latter is that you can’t fully be sure you are getting the right lenses because the doctor isn’t directly involved in the process. The upside to it is its more convenient, since you don’t even have to leave the house to receive your lenses. You just have to make sure that when you buy your contact lenses online that they are using your current prescription.

Buying contact lenses involves going to the optometrist, receiving an eye exam and finally a lesson on how to put the contacts on. To continue buying contact lenses, you can either go to the optometrist again or buy them online. Either method will yield the same results: eyes that can see the world clearly.

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