June 19, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
credit: William A. FranklinFree Color Contact Lens Sample
Almost all contact lens companies offer a free color contact lens sample; however, if you’re expecting a free pair of contacts in the mail you’re in for a disappointment. The free sample, in most cases, is merely a certificate that you printout and take with you to your local eye doctor’s office; once there you present the certificate for an in-office tryout.
In some cases you may be told that you need an eye exam to make sure you’re capable of wearing contacts. Simply put, it’s a sales gimmick.
If you’re seriously thinking about contacts then by all means take your freshly printed certificate and go see the doctor. If you already wear contacts then the doctor simply needs to know what prescription you currently use.
If your last examination for contacts was less than a year ago then you should be able to purchase the contacts you want without an additional exam. However, you may be required to take another eye exam if you wish to purchase a different type of contact lens other than your original contacts. There are several different types of contacts; there are soft contacts, hard contacts, daily contacts, contacts you can sleep in, and the list goes on.
Now, if you only wear glasses then you will need an eye examination to determine if you’re able to wear contacts. The exam will determine if there are any abnormalities that may prevent you from wearing certain contacts, such as astigmatism, which is an abnormal shape of your eye’s cornea. Not all types of contacts support certain abnormal conditions of the eye. However, you may be able to try on a non-prescription pair of contacts to see what they look like on you, provided you can see yourself in the mirror. By the way, a contact lens prescription is only good for one year; whereas, a prescription for eye glasses is good for two years.
Chances are when you enter the doctor’s office with your certificate you’re going to be asked at some point to pay for something, whether it’s an eye exam, or some sort of fee. You can’t blame them for trying; after all, once you try-on those free contacts they can’t be reused again on someone else.
Updated June 19, 2011. Published May 29, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
