Open Forum → Re: Contact lens without prescription

Because you can seriously hurt your eyes if you use the wrong type of contact lenses.

True, but you can do the same thing (damage your body) with just about any other OTC item even when taken "correctly" and not abused. What makes contacts worse?

It is far easier to screw your eyes up permanently with the wrong contact lenses than it is to screw yourself up with Tylenol... If you follow the directions on the Tylenol bottle, you'll be alright. If you follow the direction on the contact lenses, you could hurt your eyes. Contact lenses are prescribed based on eye shape, tear production, size and general feel.

-Tzale

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Contact lenses are based on size (diameter, curve), power, and astigmatism (if you have one).
A perscription can mandate a certain type/brand of contact lenses, mine have never mandated that. Mine just has the numbers which I enter into 1800 contacts and buy whatever I want.

Also, the only reason they have laws for 1 year or 2 year perscriptions is because if the contacts are somehow doing something bad to your eyes an eye doctor can catch it and stop you from buying that brand/type again.
I have no idea what would hurt your eyes without causing you discomfort or pain, but for some reason they do not trust you to know if your contacts are hurting you.

The perscription laws are probably there to make sure eye doctors make money. I would bet they did a lot of lobbying to get that mandate after they were forced to give patients their perscription.