Lensmart.com

Full review
When I first began wearing contact lenses, I purchased them through my optometrist. A few years later, I had severe problems with my eyes and began seeing an ophthalmologist whom I continue to see to follow up on my malady as well as for my yearly eye exam. Unfortunately, this doctor does not dispense contact lenses, but there are quite a number of on-line stores where contact lenses can be purchased.

One of the places I regularly purchase my Acuvue weekly wear contact lenses from is Lensmart.com. They carry lenses from many of the top name brand companies, including Bausch & Lomb, Boston, CIBA Vision, Coopervision,
Johnson & Johnson, OSI/American Hydron and Wesley Jessen. Each of these companies is listed on the upper left hand side of the home page and when you click on each, you are brough to a screen of that company's products. Underneath that list is a choice of "lens type" and you can browse through the various types of lenses on the market, such as weekly, daily or monthly disposable, bifocal, color, rigid gas permeable, special effects or toric lenses.

While it is easy to browse through the products offered at this web site, although for the most part, consumers should not be browsing through the various lenses offered and should only be purchasing those that their eye care professional recommends for them. For a bit of fun, contact lens wearers might want to order one of Lensmart.com's 27 varieties of cases, or one of their "special effect" lenses that can cover up your eye color with an American Flag, a cat eye, wildfire, or a zebra print, among others.

I have only ordered my standard weekly wear Acuvue lenses from Lensmart.com and to do so, I click on "Johnson & Johnson" on the home page, and then choose "Acuvue" from the list of their products. A new page appears which asks for your prescription for both eyes and your eye doctor's information, which they do verify. After choosing the correct information from the pull-down menus, you are brought to the order page.

To continue, you need to create an account or log-in if you are an existing customer, and then enter in your billing and shipping information, and any coupon codes that you may have. There are three shipping options available: $5.99 for First Class, $9.95 for 3-day Select and $14.95 for Next Business day.

Once my transaction was completed, I had a confirmation e-mail within a few minutes and another e-mail the next day indicating that my lenses had been shipped. I chose the cheapest delivery option and had my new lenses in three days. The lenses I received were exactly what I ordered, and the boxes had an expiration date of almost five years from the date of my order, so they are fresh lenses, and not ones that have been sitting on a shelf somewhere.

Lensmart does verify prescriptions with your eye care professional. Prior to my most recent visit to my ophthalmologist, I tried to order my contact lenses, but received an email indicating that they could not fulfill my order because my prescription was out of date.

I have found the prices for my Acuvue lenses to be a $2 to $4 less per box of six lenses than if I went to a local practitioner to have my prescription filled so that that the shipping cost of about $6 does not bother me, especially since I do very much enjoy the convenience of having them delivered right to my mailbox.

I have ordered my contact lenses from Lensmart.com at least five times, and each time, my order was fulfilled correctly and promptly. If you you wear contact lenses, give Lensmart.com a try!