Daily Wear Contact Lenses

The Food and Drug Administration insists that you be a wise consumer when it comes time to buy daily wear contact lenses. These daily wear contact lenses are FDA-regulated products. And you can now buy them on the internet, over the telephone, or through the mail. These purchases are often quite convenient for people to get daily wear contact lenses, but you need to be careful before you make your purchases.

First, understand that you must have a prescription to purchase any daily wear contact lenses. If you have not had a checkup in the last one or two years, you may have problems with your eyes that you are not aware of, or your contact lenses may not correct your vision well. Also know that the expiration date for your prescription is currently set by your state. Some require a one-year renewal; others want a two-year renewal. You should also never order lenses with a prescription that is expired.

Daily Wear Contact Lens

Your valid contact lens prescription for your daily wear contact lenses depends largely on which state you’re in. State laws define a prescription’s requirements. In states without a legal definition, the doctor prescribing the lenses will include some minimum elements like your name and the doctor’s name along with the contact lens brand name and material. Your prescription should also have measurements like power, diameter, and base curve. More detailed prescriptions will include directions for safe use like a wearing schedule, whether the lenses are for daily or extended wear, the number of refills you are allowed to have, and whether lens material substitutions are allowed.

Some internet sites selling daily wear contact lenses will ask you for information about your doctor, so they can check the prescription with your doctor. If they do check and receive a verbal okay, they are complying with the federal prescription device regulation. If the company does not check, then they have not obtained a valid prescription.

Daily Wear Contact Lenses

If you don’t have a copy of your prescription, you won’t be breaking any laws by buying daily wear contact lenses from a company on the internet or through the mail, but the company is ultimately selling you the prescription device as if it were an over-the-counter device. This is a violation of the federal prescription device regulation. The company will say that they will check back with your doctor to confirm the prescription, but they don’t always do that.