beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz) (11/13/84)
Paying more than $300 for standard (for plain nearsightedness) contacts is
probably absurd. My original pair of soft lenses cost about that much seven
years ago and followup visits were included.
I recently bought extended-wear lenses from a chain "dispensery" under a
special deal. $90, yes ninety, covered the eye exam by an optometrist, the
contacts, a care kit, and a year's followup visits. I believe their usual
price is around $150 for this deal. I've been pleased with my care at this
place.
Shop around. Ask your friends where they bought their contacts. I think you
can get good care at some of the "dispenseries," but you might want to go to
a private optometrist. But still check the person out with friends. I can't
believe that the Washington DC area is the only place to get good deals on
contacts.
:-) What do you get for $900? Designer contacts? :-)
Beth Katz
CSnet: beth@umcp-cs Arpanet: beth@maryland
Usenet: ...{seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!bethpal@crystal.UUCP (11/14/84)
Yes, $600 for contacts seems rather high. I have two experiences, both with optical chains. About four years ago, I bought simple soft contacts, had no problems until the next summer, when my hay fever caught up with me. I paid around 125-150 (US), can't remember the exact figure, for contacts, care kit, examination and followups (6 months). At the same time, my wife (who is astigmatic as well as near-sighted, I have negligible astigmatism) tried the contacts too, but couldn't get comfortable with them. She received a full refund (minus the eye examination fee) Early this year, I tried extended wear soft contacts (when you are a late-night hacker, cleaning contacts before going to sleep is a pain). Again, a discount chain (a different one - better price). 129 US included everything (1 yr. followups) except heat disinfection unit (I already had one of those). No problems, I wear them for a week at a time (the doc at the dispensary recommended against pushing the 30-day limit advertised) and am very happy. The latest price for the same deal is around 89 dollars. My wife tried toric lenses (which can correct for astigmatism) and is also very happy, although these are more expensive (I think about 250 from the chain). If the prices you quoted are for simple soft contacts, they are certainly high. The replacement cost of the lenses alone is around 20 dollars each, 30 for extended wear (Bausch and Lomb). Anil Pal U. of Wisconsin - Madison