Withholding of contact prescription OR what kind of contacts do I need?

Ok, I want to go search online for some contacts, but I don’t know my prescription. I do have the following information:

OD:
sph: -.25
cyl: -2.25
axis: 175
b.c.: 41.00
“K”: 43.5

OS:
sph: -.25
cyl: -1.5
axis: 015
b.c. 41.50
“K”: 43.50

I know this isn’t everything that I need to order contacts, with base curve blah blah blah, but is there something I can type this in to in order to get something useful?

Oh, first part of title: I went into optometrist’s office today to go get the USEFUL prescription, and they said that since I only got the fitting/trial pair and exam from them, and didn’t buy any contacts from them, that they can’t give me that information. All I know about it is that they were CooperVision contacts. Can anyone here help?

That’s ridiculous, they are feeding you a story. They have to give up your prescription, that’s what you paid them for. Unless you signed something that agreed to that particular rule, but I doubt it.

Well, actually, they haven’t received a dime from me. The numbers you see above, along with the “K values” (What are those???) were given to me at an eye exam in Fayetteville. I got down here and they simply gave me a trial pair that matched up with those, and trained me to put them in, etc. No money has changed hands.

If you go to 1800contacts you can put in an order with the information you have and they will then get in touch with your eye doctor, usually by fax, to get any information that’s not there (altho it looks like exactly what I gave them and that was all they needed) and the eye dr. will reply. And he is in fact obligated to provide the information. But really it should be no problem. I don’t know about other providers but 1800contacts is great.

Oh, man! Now the question is from where the hell can I afford contacts? How do people wear these?

I just got new contacts and they’re $20 a box from the eye doctor. A box has six lenses in it, and each lens can be worn for two weeks.
They used to be more than that from 1-800-Contacts, but that was a different brand lens. I was paying $35 a box, plus shipping.

When I was in the U.S., I used to get my contact lenses (Bausch & Lomb) from WalMart. I paid about $60 + change for a 6 month supply. You may or may not be able to use your prescription from Fayetteville in your local area if you’re now in a different state. I may be wrong, but I was led to believe in South Carolina that the prescription had to be written by a doctor licensed in South Carolina. Your state may be different but, if your prescription is still valid, 1800 Contacts may be your only option unless you’re willing to pay for a new exam.

Well, it seems that what Wal-Mart was selling isn’t that horrible, price-wise. They wanted 50 bucks for either a 3 or 6 month supply, and that’s both eyes. I thought it was ridiculous to pay that much. Hmm.

On a different note, the “2 weeks” thing… is that 14 days of wear, or 14 days from the time you open them? I still like my glasses, I just plan on wearing contacts maybe every other day or something.

Be happy this isn’t fifteen years ago when a pair of contacts could cost $400 and wore out after about a year.

For what it’s worth, I have the 2 week kind, and typically wear them MUCH longer than that. I know it’s risky, your eye doctor will tell you NEVER to do it, but I get at least a month, sometimes two months, out of each pair. I just change 'em out when they start to get uncomfortable.

By federal law, a person who prescribes contact lenses has to provide you with a copy of the prescription. You can read more about it from the FTC here . However, I’m not sure if the optometrist you refer to would be covered; did they measure you for a prescription, or just give you a trial pair of contacts based on the information you gave them?

Either way, you may (unfortunately) have to raise a fuss to get your prescription, even if you’re entitled to it. Some eye doctors don’t like to share it, in order to pressure you into buying contact lenses through them.

I wear Focus Night and Day lenses and all you need is the power to order them. -2.25 and -1.5 look about right for a minor correction (mine are -6.5 and -8.0). I pay $140 for six months’ worth but I can wear them 30 days straight and they are much more comfortable than others I’ve had (something about a much higher rate of oxygen exchange). I get mine from the optometrist but I would recommend 1-800-CONTACTS as well.