Are Contact Lenses more Expensive than Glasses? (2024)

FAQs

Are Contact Lenses more Expensive than Glasses? ›

The price depends on a lot of factors, but because of how often lenses need to be replaced (every two weeks or so for disposable contacts) the annual and long-term costs can exceed glasses.

On average, contact lenses have a higher upfront and replacement cost than eyeglasses. While some designer eyeglasses can empty your wallet, there are always bargain options that can provide adequate vision correction, an option that isn't really available with contacts.

Cost of Contact Lens Exams

They are more expensive due to the additional tests required for evaluating eye size and shape. For more about contact lens exams, visit Clarity Vision at our offices in Holly Springs. Call (919) 646-2900 to book an appointment today.

How much do Dailies Total1 cost? There's no getting around it — Alcon's Dailies Total1 contacts are more expensive than many other daily disposable contact lenses on the market. Alcon claims that the price difference is due to the advanced tech used in their lenses to ensure comfort and enhanced vision.

The frames are almost always going to be the most expensive part of buying glasses, so cutting down on how often you buy them will be the most cost-effective part of the process. Many people do not realize that the expense of buying frames every year is not a necessary one.

Because they sit on the surface of your eyes and move with them, contact lenses provide seamless vision correction. Their benefits extend to your peripheral vision and they won't have the same types of visual disruptions that glasses do, such as reflections or fogginess.

Contact lenses can be a convenient alternative to eyeglasses but are more expensive. Instead of making a one-time purchase, you commit to spending money regularly over time. Without insurance, the average cost of contact lenses is around $150-$1000 per year.

Why is there a yearly contact lens fitting fee? This fee covers the extra tests performed by the doctor and includes any necessary follow-up visits and trials lenses.

Prices for contact lenses go up as the refractive error or specialty needs increase. The most expensive lenses are bifocal or multifocal lenses or those correcting for astigmatism (irregular corneal shape) or presbyopia (farsightedness related to age).

An eyeglass prescription is not a substitute for a contact lens exam because the two are very different. An eyeglass prescription measures for lenses that are positioned approximately 12 millimeters from your eyes, whereas a contact lens prescription measures for lenses that sit directly on the eye's surface.

Is it cheaper to get daily or monthly contacts? ›

The cost of purchasing monthly contact lenses is lower than the cost of purchasing daily lenses over the same period. Additionally, because you're not disposing of a pair of lenses each day, there's less waste. Their thicker material makes monthly lenses less prone to damage and tearing.

Daily disposable contacts for both eyes cost approximately $50 to $75 per month, $600 to $900 per year, or $0.85 to $1.25 per day.

The cost of contacts from 1-800 Contacts depends on your prescription and the products that you use. 1-800 Contacts price matches with the lowest price you can find online for the same product. Ordering from them will likely cost about the same, or a little bit less, than ordering from your optometrist's office.

Generally, yes. Contacts have a higher upfront cost than regular eyeglasses. That is because you can always buy glasses off-the-shelf at a lower cost. But of course, if you decide to buy designer eyewear, eyeglasses might turn out to be a lot more expensive when it comes to upfront costs.

Eyeglasses generally are cheaper than contact lenses over the long term. You don't need to replace glasses as often (unless you break them!) and if your prescription changes over time, you may be able to keep your current frames and just replace the lenses.

Sleeping is good for your health, but sleeping with your contacts in poses a risk of infection. Protect your eyes by only wearing your contacts when you are awake. Additionally, practice proper contact lens hygiene.

Because the world has used eyeglasses for centuries and contact lenses for less than 100 years, physical frames have the reputation of being safer than contacts. That is the general truth, as contact lenses run a higher risk of eye infection due to the lens being on your eye for long stretches of time.

Glasses prescriptions can differ from contact lens prescriptions for a few reasons. The main reason is the differing distance of each lens type to the eye, called vertex distance. If nearsighted, the contact lens will typically have a lower minus number and for farsighted lenses the contacts may be a higher number.

Monthly contact lenses that are in the middle-tier price range can cost approximately $50 to $65 per box. The most popular monthly contact lenses on Lens.com include: Biofinity Energys. PureVision.

It's common to lose a little sharpness of vision after switching from glasses to contacts. If you just updated your prescription, your eyes need to adjust. If you are experiencing blurriness after switching from glasses to contacts, follow this: Make sure you have cleaned your contacts correctly.