The first thing that you will need is a contact lens prescription written by your optometrist. Your visit to the optometrist's office will include simple eye tests and exams that will help your eye doctor determine what lens is best for you. A prescription for contact lenses is good for one year from the date it was written.

Once you know what lenses you need, it's time to figure out the best place to order them. Of course, you could order your contacts right at the optometrist's office. They will do it for you. However, you are likely to save some money and time by ordering your contact lenses online.

Located in the resources section below are links to reputable online websites that sell all different types of contact lenses. Whether you wear hard lenses or soft, disposable lenses or reusable, even color-tinted contact lenses can be purchased online.

Pick a vendor and create an account. You will have to find the type and brand of contact lenses that you want. You will also be asked how many pairs of contact lenses you want to buy. You're likely to get a better price per pair if you buy a few pairs of lenses versus only one pair.

Once you decide what type of lens you want, you'll be asked to enter your contact lens prescription information so that they send you the right strength and size contacts. They are also required by law to check with your optometrist to make sure your contact lens prescription is valid and current.

Go to the website checkout and enter in your credit card information and take down your order confirmation number. In a few short days, your brand new contact lenses will show up in the mail.