Conact Lenses without Prescriptions

[xevoid]

Hiyas. So, in the U.S, at least where I live, in order to get a contact lens prescription filled you need to have a eye doctor exam once a year. This comes to 80$ plus the cost of the lenses. Now, my prescription has been the same for about 10 years, so I'm just paying for an exam which I'd rather just have once every 2-3 years.

 

I'm about out of lenses.

 

If I show up in Thailand with my lenses, can I walk into a store and show them what I have and ask for some boxes of lenses? Or will they refuse me if I do not have a prescription for the lenses?

 

Any advice would be helpful.

[Edge]

An examination here probably wouldn't cost much but it does seem pointless (edit - apart from the health check part as srb has said).

 

I imagine if you have your script they would just sell them to you, but it depends what you want.

 

I wanted some Boesche & Lumb Multi Focals (the ones you can leave in for a month and sleep in) but they don't seem to be available here.

 

In the end I just ordered them from HERE and they arrived in the post.

[srb]

Same in the UK with the mandatory test now; makes sense I'm sure. Don't forget that even though your prescription may not be changing, a good optician test is one that doesn't just check your eyesight, but also things like glaucoma - I just treat it as part of my yearly health check now. At least it doesn't involve a finger up the bottom

 

You can go into any number of opticians in Thailand and pick up lenses without prescription - never had a problem finding my ones, daily disposables. I just take in a pair for reference and usually buy a few packs to see me through.

[GoldCoastJon]

As SRB mentioned you can just walk and ask for the type you have back home, take in an empty box which details strength details etc etc this will make it easier to order. Last time i was there i bought 12 months supply and it worked out to be 60% cheaper that buying them back. They may not always have the ones you after in stock but it generally only takes 1-2 days to courier in from BKK.

[xevoid]

Sounds like at the end of the day I in fact do not need a prescription to pick up and buy lenses. I could say "My left eye is perfect but my right is -200,300,420" and if they had contacts with that measurement theyd sell em to me.

 

Not that they have em in that range, but just checking.

[7-Eleven]

You can get the test done for free in most opticians in LOS.

 

However, I found that the lenses themselves are of inferior quality. I ended up going back to my optician in the UK as I was not getting the "wear time" needed.

 

I now use the ones that Edge describes above, don't take em out for a whole month including sleeping.

 

You only have one pair of eyes, look after them!

[999Baht]

Yep I can say definitely that you can just walk into any optometrist and buy a pair or many boxes.

I am near sighted but hardly every wear contacts.

Before my last trip I wanted to get some contacts and went to the optimist in Australia.

They wanted to charge me for the eye examination now because apparently it is not covered under medicare unless I spend some ridiculous amount of money! Sounds like a scam to me!

So my first day in Pattaya I went to the local optometrist and it was not a problem at all.

I could see the beautiful women of Pattaya 100% clearly with my brand new contacts!

 

I also brought home 8 months supply of disposables! No more scamming Aussie optometrists.

[The Seeker]

No, you will not need a prescription, as long as you know what + or - you are in each eye. I normally buy a batch of daily disposables when I get to Pattaya because they are so much cheaper than the UK. I bring back what I don't use.