- Is a contact safe to wear?
Considering how many contact lenses
are sold and the few complaints we hear they are surprisingly
safe if proper instructions are complied with. That means
washing the hands before handling the contact lens, not sharing
your contact lens with others, disinfecting the contact lens
on a regular basis, using the proper contact lens solutions
and not wearing the contact lens any longer than your doctor
has recommended.
- How long do a contacts last?
This is the most commonly asked
question and a definitive answer is hard to give because it
all depends on the type of contact lens and the care you give
them. With proper care an extended wear or frequent replacement
contact lens, because it is reusable, is capable of lasting
many months before it wears out and starts to bother you,
but never wear the contact lens longer than recommended by
your doctor. A disposable contact lens on the other hand is
not reusable and is for single use only and not to be worn
for more than a week and then discarded.
- What can I do when my contact lens dry out on
my eyes?
Some people don't blink enough
or completely when they wear a contact lens which causes the
lens to blur and feel gritty. Increase your blink rate to
the normal one blink every 5 or 6 seconds. If needed, supplement
with eye drops designed for contacts, or try the new Eyemist™
by Nature's Tears® which is available at most major drug
stores, or order on line at www.naturestears.com or order
direct at (800)367-6478.
- Will the colored contact lens look on my eyes
like they do in your pictures?
They may and then again they may
not. These pictures are only meant to give you an idea of
how the colored contact lens will look on the eyes. They can
not be an exact representation because your underlining eye
colour has some effect as does the color values of your monitor.
- Is an eye exam required before ordering contact
lenses?
Not if you already have a valid
prescription that we can verify. Otherwise, you need to
be examined for contact lenses to get a
prescription we can then verify, to get proper instructions,
and to
receive follow up care. If
your prescription is still valid, but you are starting
to notice some changes in your vision, you should be reexamined.
- If I have good eyes can I get colored contact
lens?
Even if you have good eyes you will still
need to be examined to get a prescription that we can verify.
We have noncorrective colored contact lenses for those with
good vision who just want to change their eye color.
- Can I use an eyeglass prescription to order a
contact lens?
Not really because the eyeglass
and contact lens specifications are not the same. Also, you
need to be evaluated and fitted for the contact lens and given
instructions on the care and handling of the contact lens
so you don't wear them out prematurely. If you currently wear
glasses you should go back to your doctor and ask to be fitted
for a contact lens as well. Don't forget to ask for a copy
of your contact lens specifications.
- Can I get a contact lens if they are a different
size and base curve than I'm wearing now?
A thicker contact lens requires
a specific size and curve to fit properly. A thinner contact
lens usually comes in one standardized size and curve and
therefore does not require additional fitting. The size of
the contact lens has no affect on the visual correction and
only a minor effect on the fit, therefore they frequently
come in a 'one size fits all'. Because our colored contact
lens is thin it only comes in a median (8.6) base curve and
14.5 diameter.
- Can I get a contact lens to correct astigmatism?
Although an astigmatism contact
lens is available we don't sell them because they are much
more complex than a regular contact lens. We feel they should
be purchased only by the doctor that fitted you in case you
have problems with the vision you get when wearing them.
- How soon can I get a contact lens?
Once we process a customer's credit
card, we forward the contact lens order to the shipping department.
Since we stock most of the contact lenses we sell, we are
able to process and ship within 1 to 2 business days. Then,
it can take an additional 1 to 4 days depending on the delivery
services selected. For example, Express Mail takes 1 to 2
days, and Priority Mail can take up to 4 business days to
deliver the contact lens.
- Do you guarantee the contact lens?
We guarantee that the contact
lens will be free of defects when you receive them. We cannot
guarantee how long the contact lens will last because that
is strictly dependent upon the care you give them. Neither
can we guarantee that you will like the way the colored contact
lens will look on your eyes. If this is a concern to you,
we suggest you first go to your local eyecare provider and
ask them if you can try on a sample colored contact lens.
They get samples FREE from the manufacturer for just this
purpose. Naturally you do not want to indicate that you may
buy the contact lens elsewhere if you want their full cooperation.
- Is the contact lens order form secure?
Yes, our order form is secure. If you click
"To Order", you should get the message "you are about to view
pages over a secure connection." If this message does not
appear, then you need to turn-on this options through your
browser to notify you when you are changing from secure to
non-secure mode. If this option has been turned off you will
not see this message, but you can still verify that the page
is secure by looking at the address bar and looking for "https://"
and the closed security lock symbol should appear on the bottom
bar on the screen.
- What is meant by an extended wear contact lens?
An example of an extended wear contact lens
is one that can be worn longer than the typical daily wear
contact lens. Whereas the daily wear contact lens must be
taken out at night, the extended wear contact lens would be
one that you can leave in overnight. Although most extended
wear lenses can be worn for up to a week at a time, no specific
length of wearing time is implied by extended wear such as
one week or one month or one year. How long you can wear any
given contact lens should be determined by your doctor who
can best evaluate the relationship between any given contact
lens and your eyes, and whether an extended wear contact lens
is right for you.
- Is it alright to sleep in these contact lenses?
Although the FDA and the manufacturer have
approved sleeping in these contact lenses for up to a week
at a time, we agree with the advice of most eye doctors that
it is a lot safer to take the lenses out at night instead
of sleeping in them. They have found that the rate of complications
such as red eye and eye infections is less than 1/10 of those
that sleep in their lenses, so we feel it's best that you
do not sleep while wearing your contact lenses.
- If the contact lens slides off center can it get lost behind the eye?
The contact lens can slide under the upper
lid and out of view, but it can't get lost behind the eye
because the tissue that covers the front of the eye folds
back on itself and becomes the back surface of the upper
eye lid like an envelope. It causes no harm except you can't
see thru it until you recenter it over the pupil. The longer
you leave it under the lid the more mucus will attach to
it and will need a good cleaning to be usable. If you can't
easily retrieve it, try putting on another contact lens,
and when you take the new lens off don't be surprised to
find the old lens stuck to it.