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

Colored lenses have a tint meaning that you can effectively change the color of your eyes by wearing them.  Colored contacts are also available in prescription format for people who would normally wear glasses or contact lenses.

The fact that colored lenses with zero power are non-prescription does not, however, mean that you do not need a prescription to get hold of them.

This makes sense because the only difference (apart from color) between these lenses and ‘normal’ lenses is essentially the power.  It is still something you are putting into your eyes and the same precautions should still apply.

You should still check that your eyes are suitable for wearing lenses and you still need a lens which fits your eye.  You need to observe the same strict regime of cleanliness as which any other lens.

It’s not worth taking chances with your eyes so you should look upon colored lenses, including non prescription colored lenses, as if they were normal contact lenses.

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1. Colored Contact Lenses Without 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

Prescription contact lenses means that the lenses are designed to correct a problem with sight.  In other words, if you have perfect eyesight and you put in a prescription contact lenses, you will not be able to see properly.  Just like putting on someone else’s glasses.

Non-prescription contact lenses are the contact lens equivalent of  a clear piece of glass, that is, they are not designed to correct defective vision.

Colored contact lenses can be prescription or non-prescription, in the same way that it is possible to buy prescription sunglasses.

Buying colored contact lenses without prescription, whether they are prescription lenses or not, will raise the same problems as buying any contact lenses without a prescription.  Some countries will allow this and others will not.

Extreme caution is recommended if you are considering wearing colored contact lenses, especially non-prescription colored lenses.  Putting anything in your eye is risky and putting something in your eye when you really do not need to is leaving yourself open to the possibility of infection.

Extreme cleanliness is essential at all times when handling any contact lens.  Colored contact lenses contain dye and there is always the possibility of this dye leaking and coming into contact with your eye.  This is clearly not a good idea and you should ask yourself if it is really worth taking risks with your eyes for the sake of vanity or a bit of fun;  or whatever your reasons for wanting to wear colored contact lenses without prescription is.

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1. Non Prescription Colored Lenses

Although many people want to buy contact lenses this way, in many countries it is against the law so you may have difficulty.

It’s worth thinking about why you want to order contact lenses if you do not have a prescription.  How do you know what lenses to  buy?  You need lenses that are not only the right strength for each eye but are also the right shape.  You cannot just use any lenses.  The eye is a delicate organ and a contact lens from one manufacturer might irritate your eyes whilst a lens from a different manufacturer might suit your eyes.

The bottom line is, even if you do manage to find somewhere where you can order contact lenses without prescription, this is not a very clever thing to do and I do not recommend it.

No related posts.

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