This isn't about using cheaper lenses, but getting exactly the same lenses, made by the same company, with the same prescription, while paying less. Even opticians' own brands are usually simply identical lenses with different packaging.
All discounters have lists of own brands' real manufacturers to make it easier, e.g. Boots' Daily Disposables are in fact Ciba Vision Focus Dailies Basic. (source: Sainsbury's lenses own brand list).
Why are they so cheap?
With high street bought lenses, some of the price subsidises expensive premises, opticians' salaries and overheads. Yet, by law opticians must hand over prescriptions after a fitting, so you can take them to a specialist discounter.
These provide an ‘execution-only' service, which means they simply sell the lenses your optician recommends. They bulk-buy directly from the manufacturers and sell from warehouses, meaning there are no expensive property overheads.
The longer the supply you buy, the cheaper; three, six or preferably 12 months is usual, though don't buy over a year's in case your prescription changes, and order your new supply at least a month beforehand, to make sure they arrive on time.
These operators have taken such a chunk of the market that the supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon, and some high street opticians have started their own discount subsidiaries too.
Keeping your eyes safe
Scepticism is important, especially when it's your eyes we're talking about. Yet, reputable discounters will only supply lenses if they've seen proof you've had an eye test within the last year.
When buying lenses from a discounter it's still important to get regular aftercare. Unlike those who buy lenses from opticians, you'll have to pay for it, yet the saving from the lenses substantially outweighs its cost.
Some opticians don't particularly like providing aftercare for discounted lenses, but as the market grows it's something they're accommodating, e.g. buy lenses from Sainsbury's online* and you get a 20% aftercare discount voucher off Dollond & Aitchison.
Are daily lenses secretly the same as monthlies?
Per pair, monthly lenses cost roughly six times the price of daily lenses, yet they seem similar, and some re-wear dailies to save substantial cash. Is this safe?
The British Contact Lens association says no and the College of Optometrists agrees, “Daily disposables tend to be thinner as breaking on removal isn't a problem. To re-wear contacts, it's essential to clean and disinfect them; dailies aren't designed for this. Some may tear and not disinfect efficiently, leading to possibly serious eye infections and even blindness.”
However, in a report by consumer magazine Which?, an independent expert argued that Acuvue, Bausch & Lomb, Coopervision and Sauflon dailies were virtually the same as their monthlies, and if subjected to the same care routine might last just as long. Only with Ciba Vision did he find the monthly lenses very different.
BEST BUYS - The UK's Cheapest Suppliers
The following is a result of comparing over 30 web, phone, supermarket and high street chains' costs for a pair of lenses including delivery. Since often the cheapest was small and untested, the cheapest big supplier is given as an alternative.
Recently some high st. opticians have started cheap 'all-in' packages; if you're on one of those it's worth carefully considering whether you'll actually save on the overall cost of your eyecare by changing supplier. An increasing amount will also price match, so be sure to ask for their best price before switching.
Daily Replacement Disposables
Standard Lenses:
Big web retailer Getlenses* is cheapest at Ј201 for 13 months (it offers an extra month free), then Postoptics at Ј199 for 12 months. For a three month supply, the cheapest price is Ј54 from Postoptics, Getlenses* and Tesco Opticians*, although many others offer similiar prices.
Acuvue Lenses:
One-day Acuvue lenses are more expensive. For a year's supply, small web-only supplier Lensplanet is cheapest at Ј306 followed by web and phone retailer Secondsightonline at Ј315. For three months Secondsightonline and Contacts Universe cost Ј80, followed by Contactforlenses* (web and phone) at Ј85.50 after postage.
Daysoft Lenses:
Daysoft is a daily disposable contact lens manufacturer which sells directly to consumers, at very competitive prices. The company offers lenses equivalent to many of the main brands (excluding Toric versions) at a cost of Ј40 per three months. It also offers a 4-day lens trial, so you can try its lenses for free. This is worth considering, as they may save you a significant amount; over the course of a year, an Acuvue wearer buying at the best rate would save Ј130.
Monthly Replacement Disposables
A year's supply: Small web-only discounter Lensplanet is Ј51, followed closely by Contactlenses.co.uk at Ј52.
Six months' supply: Small web-only discounter Lensplanet is Ј27.50, followed by big provider Getlenses* at Ј28.
Of course monthly lenses also require cleaning solutions to go with them, and these are also available at reduced prices. Postoptics, one of the biggest companies, offers a multi-buy discount on some solutions; buy three and you'll get one free, which should last a year altogether. This can make it over-all cheapest depending on which solution you use.
Other types of lenses
Discount lens suppliers also stock other lens types. For example Lensbase* sells pairs of coloured monthly lenses for Ј10.50 and Lensplanet sells three months worth of daily Toric lenses for Ј94. Though as the prices vary with specific products, check out a range of the discounters for the cheapest prices.
Unfortunately it's very difficult to find annual or semi-permeable lenses at discounters, due to the level of aftercare that wearers of these types require.
There are some suppliers in the USA, such as Coastalcontacts which will often sell lenses in bulk cheaper than the UK, including delivery, especially given the current favourable exchange rate.
There's also a useful US contact lenses comparison site, Findcontactlenses, which includes most of the major US discounters, and even discount codes for them.
However, buying from overseas raises a number of issues – reliability, import duty, quality control and regulatory issues. As it's your vision we're looking at, this option shouldn't be undertaken lightly. Ensure you do the necessary checks and comparisons for eye safety.
Cheapest contact lenses: buying from abroad
Laser eye surgery cost cutting
If you decide to ditch contact lenses and fix your sight permanently with laser eye surgery big savings are possible. Though ensure you do the medical research and consider all the options first.
Grab it on eBay.
Optimax often sells leftover capacity (direct link to its eBay site*) at a discount price to utilise otherwise empty appointments. If you're going for more than just the basic epi-LASIK treatment it’s possible to get reductions of up to Ј800 depending on which you're getting; though you have to keep checking.
Get it for a quarter of the price with Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
It's possible to pay for some or all of your Optimax surgery with Tesco points. Better still, as Optimax is part of Tesco’s Clubcard Deals scheme, you get it for a quarter of the price. In other words a Ј5 in-store voucher is worth Ј20 of laser eye surgery.
This means if you have the vouchers you could have an Ј800 treatment with Ј200 worth of vouchers. If you don’t have the vouchers you can use them to part pay; plus there are many Tesco loopholes included in the weekly e-mail which will help you build them up more quickly. More details about Tesco deals in the Loyalty Points: Boost Tesco, Nectar, Airmiles points.
Sign up to the websites.
Sign up to different laser eye websites such as Accuvision, Centre For Sight, Optical Express, Optimax* and Ultralase. They'll often mail out special offers and sometimes the longer you leave it the better a deal you'll get. And go to any open days; companies will have special deals to tempt you into signing up that day.
Job-related discounts.
Yet again it’s another Optimax trick; it seems to overpower the others when it incentivises. When you work for a company or association that's joined its Privilege Discount Scheme you can get up to 30% off and it won’t charge for the consultation. The NHS is already signed up, but do make sure you compare its prices, with the other suggestion above.
Cheapest laser eye surgery discussion
The attorneys general of Florida and 31 other states have settled a simmering complaint against contact lensmaker Bausch & Lomb, ending part of a 7-year-old lawsuit alleging the contact lens industry and optometrists conspired to keep prices high by restricting sales through mail-order houses and other discounters.
Bausch & Lomb, the world's second-largest seller of contact lenses, admitted no wrongdoing in Tuesday's settlement but agreed to sell soft lenses directly to discounters, mass marketers and retailers, just as it has historically done for optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians.
The company also will spend $17.5-million to give lens wearers rebates and gift certificates of up to $127 per person, provided they purchase Bausch & Lomb products. Anyone who has bought replacement lenses since 1988 may be eligible, even if they don't wear Bausch & Lomb lenses.
With about 30-million contact lens wearers in the United States, millions could sign up.
"The most important part about this settlement and the CIBA settlement isn't the cash, but ensuring that there's some free competition. Prices were artificially raised," said Trish Conners, chief of the antitrust section of the Florida Attorney General's Office.
CIBA Vision, the smallest of three companies sued by the attorneys general, settled for $5-million in 1997.
But the big showdown is yet to come: Next month, in a federal court in Jacksonville, the attorneys general will square off against the American Optometric Association and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, the world's leading marketer of contact lenses and the maker of Acuvue, the nation's most popular brand.
Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth filed the original lawsuit in 1994 against the American Optometry Association, CIBA, Bausch & Lomb and Johnson & Johnson alleging they conspired to keep prices high by keeping their products from being sold at discounters such as Lens Express, 1-800-CONTACTS and other mail-order houses, pharmacies and department stores.
Thirty-one other states, including California, New York, Texas and North Dakota, joined the suit in 1996.
The suit says representatives of the American Optometric Association and Johnson & Johnson's Vistakon division met in 1989 at Ponte Vedre Beach and agreed to restrict consumer access to the prescriptions needed to get lenses and to cut the supply of lenses to discounters.
Johnson & Johnson also agreed to change its policy to sell its popular lenses only through optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians who offer eye exams, the complaint says.
Both the company and the optometrists deny wrongdoing, and no settlement is expected before the March 19 trial date.
Tuesday's settlement still needs the approval of the federal judge in Jacksonville presiding over the case, Harvey Schlesinger. But Bausch & Lomb already is registering potential beneficiaries through a toll-free number, (888) 707-5880, and Web site, www.freecontactlensrebates.com.
Bausch & Lomb, which posted net sales of $1.8-billion last year, said Tuesday's $17.5-million settlement will cost about 18 cents per share, after taxes.
Margaret Graham, director of corporate communications for Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, N.Y., said her company had restricted sales to eye care practitioners and opticians to protect patients, but did not believe that the restrictions raised prices.
"Bausch & Lomb believes the marketplace is naturally competitive and that the marketplace took care of the cost issue," she said.
"Some of these alternate sources of distribution did not require current contact lens prescriptions, did not require a recent eye examination or have various checks and balances. . . . We were concerned that the eye care practitioner was being eliminated from the equation here."
But Kevin McCallum, vice-president of marketing for 1-800-CONTACTS, a mail- and Internet-order discounter, said patient safety was used as an excuse to allow the companies and optometrists to capture the market.
His company and other discounters were able to get lenses, but they had to buy them through distributors, rather than directly from the manufacturers, which boosted prices.
McCallum noted that rules of ethics prohibit physicians from selling medicine they prescribe, and he argued it should be the same for eye care practitioners.
"You assume the patient would always be wondering, "Is that medicine in the best interest of my health, or the best interest of that doctor's pocketbook?' " he said. "Why are optometrists selling in the first place?"
But Biard MacGuineas, an attorney for the American Optometric Association, said the trade group can't be held responsible for the actions of individual members.
"If the law says you must release (the prescription), then we would certainly advise compliance of the law," he said. "When the law does not require it, then it becomes the individual decision of the doctor, and the AOA has nothing to do with that."
Some states, including Florida, require optometrists and ophthalmologists to give their patients their prescriptions if they ask, so the patients can shop for the best prices. But Conners, the assistant attorney general, acknowledged the law is not always followed, and many other states do not require that.
The attorneys general suit doesn't directly address that issue, but the consumer's access to his or her prescription is a key component of free trade and competition, she said.
"To the extent that they fail to release prescriptions, they're contributing to the prohibition against selling to alternative channels," Conners said. "You need your prescription to go to Lens Express or Wal-Mart or Sam's or whatever."
Pay cash for standard daily disposables in-store at a high street opticians and some can cost as much as Ј500 a year, yet Postoptics is Ј199, a saving of Ј300. Of course, high street opticians include an eye test and aftercare, but the cost of that doesn't come close to making up the price difference.
Visible Savings: Annual Contact Lenses Cost
Top High St. Prices Cheapest Discounter Saving
Daily Disposables Ј504 Ј199 (1) Ј305
Monthly Disposables + Solutions Ј180 Ј99 (2) Ј81
The comparison excludes the cost of an eye test or aftercare which needs to be added to discounter, likely to be around Ј50 a year. (1) Postoptics (2) Postoptics lenses are Ј59 and a year's solutions Ј39 (buy 3, get 1 free) .
