Contact/Glasses wearers - question

C&K*s Mommie wrote: If you wear both contacts and glasses, do you keep both prescriptions up to date every year? If you do is there a way to save in doing both?

I ask because I wear contacts and it is time for me to renew that prescription. It has been about 2yrs since I had a eyeglass prescription, so that is due as well. I am thinking of going back to glasses, but I like wearing contacts too. It will be pricey to do both at the same time, but I wanted to know if there was a way to save a little money if I did.

cameragirl21 replied: i wear contacts and rarely wear my glasses...my prescription is so minimal that i can see pretty well without contacts but don't really drive or take pictures without them.
that being said, i haven't changed my glasses since i got my first pair when i was 18 so i can't really answer your question regarding getting both at once.
BUT, i can tell you how you can save money on contacts--i wear disposables, acuvues and don't sleep in them, just take them out every night and put them back in in the morning. if you clean them regularly and take them out every night, you can wear the same pair for months, that's what i do and a six week supply easy becomes a 6-9 month supply for me.
as long as you clean them and take them out every night, you won't get eye infections or problems from doing that.
i'm actually seriously thinking about getting lasik, but i'm worried that if they screw up...well you know i'm totally dependent on my eyes for my work, at least my right eye.
have you ever thought about lasik?

flirtycuddle replied: When my df did his glasses and contacts at our local Walmart they only charged him for hte contact exam and gave him is glasses script. I don't know if all Walmarts do both for the same cost or make u do 2 diff exams. We only got the contacts at the tiem though and went back a lil bit later and got him glasses

My3LilMonkeys replied: I usually just wait on the glasses as long as I can b/c I never wear them. Currently they are about 5 years old and I get a headache whenever I do wear them, so I think it's time to get new ones.

Jamison'smama replied: hmmm, I'm not sure how to save--I wear contacts and I also would like to update my glasses. I know there are many places that run specials on frames so you may just want to space out the purchase. THe contact lense exam encompasses the exam for glasses--they just add some additional measurements for contacts so that wouldn't cost anything---the prescriptions are good for a year so find a good deal on glasses and get them--then fill the contact prescription in a couple of months or vice versa. Let me know if you find any amazing deals, I'm due too.

Brias3 replied: I'm not really sure how to save persay. I completely and totally rely on my contacts so I update these each year. My prescription has kind of tapered off the past five years or so but beforehand, my vision was increasingly worse as each year passed from about age ten on so I've always had to spend the $ to update. My glasses aren't updated to my current contact prescription because I wear them so minimally but I'd like to update them soon, as I've been having alot of dryness with my contacts and want to cut back on the time I wear them each day. I think I'm just going to have to look for a decent deal and go ahead with it then.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Jennifer~ I have thought about Lasik too. I am worried as well about something going awry and this is the only pair of eyes I have. It is not something that I plan on doing in the near future, but sometime in the future I plan to bite the bullet and go for it.

FlirtyCuddle~ I will check into our Walmarts doing something like that for prescriptions. Thanks for the idea to ask!

Pam~ You are like me. I waited and waited to change my glasses. These last pair (of glasses) broke shortly after my one yr anniv of having them, so they were no longer guaranteed under the warranty plus the way they broke they cannot be soldered together.

Brenda~ You may or may not be like me, but I wish eyeglass places would use the same exam for both eyeglasses/contacts instead of using two prescriptions. But I guess it is about the almighty dollar, flying out of our pockets into theirs.

I am wanting to stick with Lens Crafters since for the glasses, since they have a 30day switch out guarantee. Being the woman that I am, I am never satisfied with my purchase for glasses a week into having them. I usually hate them by that point. So I know I will be staying with LensCrafters for that reason for the glasses. But their coupons are not really good right now. With my horrible eyesight, $75 off is only a drop in the bucket once the bottom line is figured for my lenses alone.

I will definately check into Walmart for the double prescription for one price.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Bria~ my prescription too has gotten increasingly worse too for awhile. I once asked my optometrist if I will be blind by the time I am 40, fortunately he assuaged my fears and told me that the increasing worse eyesight will taper off and stay the same for a long time.

I also have a very slight astigmatism, nothing that requires any special contacts or eyeglasses, but that had me worried since it already costs me an arm & a leg to get the lenses I need now to be thin the way I prefer. Then to add on additional costs to counteract the astigmatism through contacts or glasses, would have me running for the hills.

MyLuvBugs replied: I usually have my contacts up to date, but my glasses get changed every 5 years or so. Unless i start getting headaches like I did last year, then the glasses get updated sooner.

luvmykids replied:
I've had Lasik and had the same concerns but once I really read up on it and the doctor doing it I felt much better. It was soooooo worth it.

Jamison'smama replied: Did you say that your exams require seperate exams for contacts and glasses? Everywhere I have gone I just ask for a contact lense exam and that covers both glasses and contacts since the contact exam is the same as glasses with a couple of extra steps.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Yes, everywhere I have gone to they insisted on a seperate exam for the contacts and glasses. As you have said the contact lens exam is more entailed than the glasses, so I have to have two prescriptions. Maybe it is because of my bad eyes. But I will inquire more about the single exam for convienence and saving money now that I know it can be done that way. Thanks!

paradisemommy replied: i wear both and since my ins. sucks when it comes to eye coverage, i get them done at costco..i go through my insurance and have them write me a rx then i go into costo and make an appt. to get contacts..since i bring in a rx for my glasses then they can kinda convert it into contacts but charge $50 for fitting and the dr. visits but the contacts are WAY cheaper than anywhere else i've seen. it's been a while since i went cause the ones i got lasted forever..i wanna say like $14/box and i think their glasses are cheaper too but not THAT much cheaper..

Jamison'smama replied: I have horrible eyes as well. I worked in an optometrist's office for years and the contact lense exam should include the Rx for glasses as well. They are the same numbers +/- 3.00 etc. The contact lense exam just includes measuring the curve of the eye for proper contact fitting. The numbers are the same so I don't see how they can make you get a full eye exam for glasses if they already gave you an exam for contacts--the health and prescription of the eye doesn't change. Usually the contact lense exam is a little more expensive but go that route. We did charge people a little bit if they just needed a contact lense measurement when they had a Rx for glasses but no need for a full exam.

luvmykids replied: I would just get the contact exam and then at the end say "Oh, could you give me a prescription for glasses too?" Thats what I always did when they wanted to charge me two exam fees

gr33n3y3z replied: I wear contacts 24/7
As for glasses go I do update those but they are free with insurance or the contacts are free my choice
But years ago when I didnt have insurance I would just update the contacts and let the glasses go for a few years

skinkybaby replied: I haven't gotten new glasses in years. I always wear my contacts, unless I do something silly and stab myself in the eye with my mascara wand.
But my husband has wonderful insurance so I really should take advantage of it.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Thanks everyone!!

Brenda, thanks for that information about the contact Rx being the same as the eyeglass prescription. That will be useful to know when I go to them. I can be more confident when I go in for my exam. Now that I know (thanks Monica too ) that I can use one Rx for the two purposes, I will go ahead and go the least expensive, but more conveinent route with contacts. Then in a few months go back for glasses.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: My prescriptions are REALLY strong...and they don't really change... but my glasses are so expensive when I do have to get new ones, a 40$ exam really doesn't change the price all that much, not enough to notice anyways.

My prescription is -7 in one eye and -6.5 in the other. With the thinning and the anti-glaze and anti-scrathc stuff... even if I take the cheapest frames, my glasses usually cost me around 500$ including tax for a new pair.

So when I do splurge and get contacts, I don't bother with an eye exam to check them...since contacts are.5 higher than glasses, since they're closer to the eye. My ophtalmologist told me that. But in any case... I get trial pairs whenever I can... they usually are supposed to last about 2 weeks... but I don't wear them every day, usually only for special occasions or if we go out... so they can last 3 months for me... and then a regular pair, which will cost me about 85$, is supposed to last about 6 months... I stretch them to well over a year.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Forgive me if I repeat anything...I renew it every year. I buy my glasses and contacts at Walmart. If you go there for your eye exam they will discount if you do both. I think it's about $65 or so to do both exams together. I wear my glasses during the week while I am home and use contacts on the weekends when I leave the house to go out or something.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
At Walmart it is one exam, but the contact prescription is different than the glasses prescription...you get two cards versus one. Don't know if that is what Nicole is talking about.

Nicole, we've never had an issue with Walmart's optical department and have been pretty satisfied with their service. They are less expensive than other private doctor's offices as well, for exams, glasses, and contacts.