Why do you want to do this? Do you know what your prescription is, so you think you don’t need to get another, or do you just want cosmetic lenses which don’t have a strength and so should not need a prescription?

Let’s suppose you want traditional contacts, to correct your vision. Obviously for getting these contacts you will need to know what strength to get, so you must have had a prescription once. If this prescription is old, can you still use it to get contact lenses? Well, probably not, is the answer. Of course, you can get anything off the internet so there is probably someone out there who will sell you them, based on the strength listed on your prescription. But can you do this legally? Not in most parts of the world. It is generally illegal to buy or sell prescription lenses without a current prescription.

What about cosmetic, non-prescription lenses? Well, the situation is a bit easier here, although it does vary from place to place. In Canada, cosmetic lenses are not classed as medical devices and they may be sold without a prescription.

The question must be asked, why are you interested in getting contact lenses without a prescription? It is very easy to get a prescription. It does not take much time or money. If you compare this with the possible lifetime of ruined eyesight which can come from wearing sub-standard lenses, or lenses which are not suitable for your eyes, then there is only one sensible solution. contact lenses are very readily available. They are cheap, and so are sight tests; the best thing is to stop thinking about getting contact lenses without prescription.

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Canada, that almost mythical land where the streets are paved with gold rimmed glasses and contact lenses hang from every tree.

So what exactly is the truth? Why do people think that you can get contacts from Canada with no prescription?

I spoke to the Canadian health department to find out the truth and this is what I was told.

If you are a Canadian resident then it is illegal to buy contact lenses without an up to date prescription, whether from inside Canada or outside. No Canadian business is allowed to sell you contact lenses if you don’t have a current prescription.

These same rules apply if a Canadian business is selling contact lenses to someone outside Canada. They are not allowed to do it if the buyer does not have a valid prescription.

Now, the above rules only apply to prescription contact lenses, that is, contact lenses with power, designed to correct vision. They do NOT apply to the sale or purchase of colored contact lenses.

In Canada, cosmetic contacts are not classed as medical devices, at the moment anyway, and so you can buy coloured contact lenses from Canada without a prescription.

Of course, there may or may not be laws in your own country governing whether or not you are allowed to buy contacts without prescription.

As usual, it is worth asking the question, why do you want to buy lenses without prescription? It isn’t difficult to get an eye exam and this will tell you if there are any problems in your eyes, which is always good to know. You will also find out if your eyes are suitable for contact lenses and you will find out the correct size.

Rather than spend time trying to find somewhere where you can buy contact lenses without a prescription, just go and get one. You know it makes sense.

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1. Buy Contact Lenses Online Without Prescription

You’ve had a test sometime in the past, you’ve worn lenses before so you know what you need. But when you try to buy contacts online you find that no one will sell them without an up to date prescription.

You can buy contacts online without a prescription but there’s a good chance that someone will be breaking the law, even if you are not.

It depends where you are, of course. In the US you cannot buy contact lenses without a prescription and the same is true of the UK. What about Canada? Canada is often cited as the place to go but here the same rules apply, althought there is one major difference.

In Canada it is legal to sell and buy cosmetic contact lenses without a prescription, provided that they are plano lenses (lenses which provide no corrective function).

If you’re after contact lenses to correct your vision then you will almost certainly find that no providers where you live are legally able to sell you lenses if you don’t have a current prescription.

That said, the internet is a big place and it’s pretty easy to find websites which will sell you prescription lenses without seeing any prescription.

I would not recommend doing this. The laws exist for a reason and it makes more sense to get your eyes tested and to get an up to date prescription than to take any risks with your eyes. Even if there were no laws, don’t risk it. Get a prescription. It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s making sure that your eyes are healthy and that there are no problems.

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1. Contacts Without A Current Prescription

Supplying contact lenses without a prescription, on the other hand, generally is illegal.  Certainly in the UK and the US.

Less clear is the legal status of companies willing to supply contacts without a prescription to people in a different country.  Which law applies, if any?

There are certainly businesses outside the UK prepared to supply contact lenses to UK residents without any evidence of a current prescription, or indeed an out of date one.  In the age of the internet this is likely to be true throughout the world.

Whatever you may think about the laws, it is worth thinking about why it is so difficult to get contacts without prescription.  Putting anything into your eye is potentially dangerous and carries with it the possibility of blindness.  Not everyone is suited to wearing lenses and even if you are able to wear contacts, not every brand will be suitable for your eyes.  It is essential to get a suitable lens and also to get one that fill fit the curvature of your eye.  Obviously it makes sense to get lenses with the correct strength to correct your vision.  Having a regular eye test, which will not usually be more than once a year and sometimes only every two years, will enable your optician to spot any problems or more serious conditions in your eyes.

If you put a bit of effort into it you can get contacts without a current prescription, but it makes more sense to put this effort into going for a test to get a new prescription.

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1. Buy Contact Lenses Online Without Prescription

If you have no prescription then you should be very wary.  The eye is a delicate organ and not one you want to take chances with.  If you have no prescription then how do you know what strength lens to order?  Or are you trying to get cosmetic contact lenses without prescription?  Even if you don’t want lenses to correct your vision, you still need lenses to fit the curvature of your eye and so a prescription of some sort is sensible.

Perhaps you do have a prescription but it is a few years old.  It seems reasonable in these circumstances that you should be able to buy contact lenses without prescription if you feel that your eyes haven’t changed, but unfortunately, and certainly in the UK,US and Canada, an up to date prescription is required to buy contact lenses online.  This might be annoying but it does make sense as your eye curvature might have changed since your last prescription.  An eye test will also pick up on any possible problems in your eyes.

In the end, however much you believe that it’s your right to do what you like with your eyes, it does make sense to have regular check ups and you will find it hard, if not impossible, to buy contact lenses wihtout prescription.

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1. Buy Contact Lenses Online Without Prescription