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Anyone who wears contact lenses, especially dailies, knows that vision correction comes at a continuous cost. Unlike eyeglasses that you purchase once every few years, contact lenses must be purchased again and again —even if you get bulk shipments. Contact Lens King is an online retailer of contact lenses that puts a heavy focus on value for money.
Founded in 2003 and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Contact Lens King offers brand names at heavily discounted prices. Learn what Contact Lens King has to offer, and what you can expect when ordering from them.
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of Contact Lens King:
Pros
- They offer a good selection of leading brand names in contact lenses.
- They keep a large inventory in order to keep delivery times down.
- They have website features for budget-conscious shoppers, like a discount symbol indicating the best price.
- They offer easy-to-find product information.
Cons
- They don’t take insurance.
- Shipping isn’t free.
- Their return policy is only for unopened boxes and doesn’t include the cost of shipping.
There’s a good chance that the brand recommended by your doctor is sold on the Contact Lens King website. Their popular brands include Acuvue, Air Optix, Biomedics, Biofinity, Proclear, PureVision, Biotrue, and Dailies. In addition to major brand names, they sell specialty lenses that can sometimes be hard to find, such as those for astigmatism.
Follow the links below to browse products on Contact Lens King:
- daily disposables
- weekly disposables
- monthly disposables
- colored contact lenses
- toric lenses for astigmatism
- bifocal/multifocal lenses
They also sell reading glasses and contact lens solution.
Price varies widely depending on the brand of contact lens. Dailies tend to run higher than monthlies, for example. Generally, Contact Lens King shoppers can expect to pay from about $26 to $33 for a 30-pack of contact lenses.
Though Contact Lens King doesn’t accept insurance, customers can apply their flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) funds to their purchase.
Their straightforward navigation allows you to quickly find which brand, type and/or manufacturer you’d like. You can also use their search bar if you already know what you’re looking for.
Once you land on the product page, they clearly lay out the price based on the size of the order. Each product page also contains key information about the lens type, water content, and material.
The water content is particularly important. For example, those with a common condition called dry eye may need to avoid contact lenses with higher water content. Your eye doctor can tell you how much water content is recommended for your particular needs.
Ordering from Contact Lens King
To start, you’ll need an updated prescription and a general idea of your contact lens needs, based on consultation with your eye doctor. The law in the United States requires you to have a valid prescription before buying contact lenses, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set the expiration date on contact lens prescriptions to 1 year.
However, you can still place your order without a physical copy of your prescription. You’ll just need to provide your eye doctor’s information so that Contact Lens King can get the prescription on your behalf.
Here how the ordering process works:
- Select the contact lenses you want, along with the quantity you’d like. Keep in mind that it’s often cheaper if you order in bulk.
- Select your prescription information, or enter as much as you know, and proceed to the cart.
- Before completing your order, you’ll need to create a Contact Lens King account.
- If you don’t have your prescription, the online order process will lead you to select your eye doctor from their database. Once you check out, Contact Lens King will send your eye doctor a request for confirmation of the prescription information.
If you have a valid contact lens prescription in hand when you order, your order can get processed immediately. If your eye doctor needs to be contacted, the delivery time will depend on the responsiveness of your doctor’s office. Contact Lens King’s website claims that they can ship within 1 business day after positive prescription verification.
Shipping is not free. They use United States Postal Service first-class mail at a cost of $7.95, and it takes an estimated 4 to 7 business days to reach your door. If you want your lenses faster, you can go for priority mail which costs $14.95 and can take 2 to 3 business days.
Contact Lens King offers a 30-day return policy for unopened boxes of contacts. Shipping fees are not included in the returns process. Returns must be initiated with the customer service department by email or by phone, and they will issue you a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number to include in the address portion of your return package.
Though a no-frills brand, Contact Lens King has a reputation for good pricing, fast delivery, and strong customer service.
They are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and have an A+ BBB rating. Their average rating on Trustpilot is 4.7 out of 1,681 reviews, with reports of good customer service experience and excellent prices, sales promotions, and coupons. Most of the complaints had to do with the cost of shipping, delivery times, and prices not as advertised.
When it comes to no-fuss, discount contact lenses, Contact Lens King isn’t the only game in town.
DiscountContactLenses.com is the most similar competitor, and they also offer transparent pricing and simple navigation. They offer free shipping, but only on orders over $99.
ContactsDirect also boasts being a budget-friendly retailer focused on selling the major brands of contact lenses. They even include a rebates page for customers to easily browse common manufacturer offers.
In our chart below, you’ll see how Contact Lens King compares with a slew of their biggest competitors.
Head-to-head comparison
| Retailer | Accepts insurance? | Accepts FSA/HSA? | Shipping | Pricing | Selection of popular brands | Return policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Lens King | no | yes | $9.95–$12.95 (4–7 business days), rush shipping options available at higher costs | $26–$33 for a 30-pack of contact lenses | 8 brands | only for unopened boxes, doesn’t include shipping cost, and only accepted within 30 days |
| DiscountContactLenses.com | no | yes | free shipping on orders over $99 | transparent pricing model, $30–$45 and higher per box | 12 brands | return items up to 365 days from the ship date |
| ContactsDirect | yes, accepts vision insurance | yes | free standard shipping (7–10 business days), faster shipping is available from $12–$20 | cost varies,30-count box of contact lenses ranges from $30–$60 per box, 90-count box ranges from $60–$150 per box | 6 brands | unopened boxes can be returned within 6 months |
| Lens.com | no | yes | $9.95 for standard shipping (5–7 business days), next-day shipping available for $24.95 | cost varies, one box of 30 ranges from $20–$100 | 23 brands | unopened boxes can be returned within 30 days |
| 1-800 Contacts | yes, accepts vision insurance | yes | free standard shipping (5–7 business days), rush shipping available | offers a best-price guarantee for U.S.-based competitors | 11 brands | free returns or exchanges for unused lenses |
| Warby Parker | yes, accepts vision insurance | yes | free shipping | average cost of box of 30 lenses is around $37.50 | 6 brands | free returns and exchanges on original, unopened boxes and defective products within 30 days |
Do you need a prescription for Contact Lens King?
Yes, you need a prescription that Contact Lens King can verify before ordering your contact lenses. Non-U.S. residents, however, do not need verification to receive contact lenses.
Once your prescription is confirmed, it’s valid through the expiration date of your prescription, so you won’t have to verify again until you renew your expired prescription.
What is the best website to order contacts from?
This depends on which features matter the most to you. First, you’ll want to consider whether you’re using an insurance plan. Some websites accept vision insurance, while others don’t. You’ll also want to read the fine print carefully if you’re looking for fast and free shipping.
Some brands, like ContactsDirect, 1-800 Contacts, and Warby Parker, offer free standard shipping. Others, like Contact Lens King, charge for shipping. Some websites offer major, popular contact lens brands, while others have a smaller selection of less popular options.
Finally, check out return policies too. Return policies range from 30 days to 1 year. Most require your boxes are unopened or defective to be eligible for returns.
Can I buy contact lenses over the counter?
No. By law, contact lenses, even the color version for aesthetic purposes only, require a prescription.
Is 1-800 Contacts cheaper?
This depends on the contacts you’ve picked out. 1-800 Contacts does offer a best-price guarantee for U.S.-based competitors, so this may mean finding the best possible price for your prescription.
Can I get contacts online with an expired prescription?
No. U.S. residents need a valid prescription to receive contact lenses, whether online or in person.
Contact Lens King is your meat and potatoes of the online contact lens retail world. That means they’re probably best for people who know their prescription and preferred brand, want the best price for them, and plan to order in bulk on a repeat basis.
Keep in mind that this retailer doesn’t accept insurance (although they do accept FSA/HSA cards) and charges for shipping.
While the pricing model is reasonable compared with their competitors, their return policy is less generous, requiring boxes to be unopened within a 30-day window, and returns do not include shipping costs.