More Than Just Lenses... How Our Aftercare Program Keeps Your Eyes Healthy
If you buy contact lenses online, are you on your own once they arrive? Not at all, at least not when you shop with us at Contactlensesplus.com. In this post, we want to show you how our service extends beyond selling contact lenses. We’ve built a comprehensive aftercare program to support your eye health every step of the way under the guidance of our in-house Optometrist, John Dreyer Optometrist Bsc(Hons), MCOPTOM, DipCLP.
But you may be wondering why we are so passionate about aftercare. Because healthy eyes and happy customers go hand in hand. When you purchase contacts, you will also receive information and support on how to use them safely. Here’s an inside look at what we do to make sure you get the care you deserve, along with your contacts.
Why Aftercare Matters (The Basics)
Wearing contact lenses involves more than just putting little discs on your eyes each morning. Contacts are medical devices that interact with the delicate surface of your eye. Without proper care, things can go wrong... from mild irritation to serious eye infections. This is why eye care professionals talk so much about “aftercare,” which basically refers to ongoing care and advice after you’ve been fitted and start wearing contacts.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t buy a car without learning how to maintain it (oil changes, brake checks, etc.). Similarly, you shouldn’t wear contact lenses without knowing how to keep your eyes and contacts in top condition. Regular check-ups, good hygiene, and knowing the warning signs of trouble are all part of staying safe.
Historically, aftercare for contact lens users meant frequent visits to an eye doctors office. These check-ups are still important (we’ll talk about those later), but the GOC now acknowledges that many aspects of aftercare can be done by wearers themselves at home with the right guidance. This is great news, as it allows online suppliers like us to provide much of that guidance remotely, ensuring you’re informed and supported even if you didn’t buy lenses from a high street shop.
So, what exactly should aftercare include? According to a draft position by the GOC, aftercare means giving you: instructions on inserting, wearing, and removing your contacts, instructions on cleaning and storing them, advice on signs or symptoms to watch out for, information on who to contact if there’s a problem, and reminders about regular check-ups. That’s a solid checklist and we’ve made sure to cover all those bases in our aftercare program (and then some!).
Aftercare at Contactlensesplus.com, What You Get with Every Order
When you place an order with us, it’s not the end of our interaction, it’s the beginning of an ongoing care relationship. Here are the key components of our aftercare, all of which kick in as soon as you buy your lenses:
• Personalized Lens Care Guide (Included with Every Order): As soon as you order, we email you a Comprehensive Aftercare & Lens Care Guide (and a printed copy may be included with your package). This guide is written in clear language by our Optometrist. It covers everything: how to safely insert and remove your lenses (with step-by-step tips), how long you can wear them each day, and the schedule for replacement (e.g. daily, monthly). We give detailed cleaning and storage instructions for reusable lenses, for example, reminding you never to use tap water on contacts and to clean your case regularly. Essentially, this guide is your “owner’s manual” for your new contacts. We update it according to the latest guidelines and make sure it’s easy to follow.
• Hygiene and Safety Tips: Our aftercare guide and website emphasizes key hygiene practices. You’ll see reminders to always wash and dry your hands before touching your contacts, to use fresh solution each time and not to over-wear contacts beyond recommended hours. We also warn against sleeping in contacts or wearing them while swimming (unless specifically approved contact lenses), since those behaviors up your risk of infection. These hygiene tips might seem basic, but they are truly the foundation of safe contact lens wear. We’d rather repeat them one time too many than have you risk your eye health by forgetting!
• “Red Flags” or Warning Signs to Know: A critical part of aftercare is knowing when something might be wrong. In our materials, we clearly list symptoms that should never be ignored: things like persistent eye redness, pain, sudden blurry vision, light sensitivity or excessive discharge/tearing. If you experience any of these while wearing contacts, it could be a sign of a problem like an infection or poorly fitting lens. Our guide advises you to stop wearing your contacts and seek advice immediately in such cases. We provide guidance on what to do: for example, remove the contacts right away and if symptoms are severe, contact an eye care professional. If you have an urgent concern outside of our business hours. The goal is that you’re never left guessing... you’ll know what is normal and what isn’t and when to get help.
• Access to Our Optometrist (Ask an Optometrist Service): Perhaps the crown jewel of our aftercare is that you have direct access to a registered optometrist without leaving your home. John Dreyer, our resident optometrist, is available to answer your questions via our “Ask Our Optometrist” portal in your customer account area. Whether you’re unsure if your discomfort is normal or you need advice on trying a new type of contacts or you want clarification on something in your prescription, you can send John a message. He’s got 40+ years of experience and he’s here for you (not just behind the scenes). We often find that customers feel reassured knowing a qualified professional is only a click away. It’s like having a virtual optometrist's office as part of our website.
• Eye Care Hub with Educational Articles: We believe informed wearers are safe wearers. That’s why we maintain Eye Health Central, an online hub of articles and guides about eye care. All of these articles are written by our Optometrist for accuracy. For example, we have articles on 'Common Contact Lens Problems and How to Fix Them', 'Contact Lens Wearing Schedules', and 'How to Clean Your Contact Lenses', all readily available. We even explain the importance of regular contact lens check-ups and what to expect from those appointments. By browsing these resources, you can educate yourself at your own pace. It’s part of our aftercare because it empowers you with knowledge beyond the basics. We regularly update the content to cover new topics or advancements (like new lens materials or care solutions). Essentially, when you purchase from us, you gain a learning resource for all things contacts and eye health, for free.
• Interactive Aftercare Quizzes: To make learning about contact lens care a bit more fun, we’ve introduced quizzes in our customer area. These short quizzes test your knowledge on topics like cleaning routines, do’s and don’ts, etc. They’re a hit among our community, you can challenge yourself, learn new facts, and even earn loyalty points as an incentive. For instance, a quiz might ask “Is it okay to rinse your contacts with tap water?” (We hope you know the answer is no!). If you get it wrong, we’ll explain why and what the correct practice is (in this case, always use sterile solution, since tap water can harbor microbes that cause serious infections). This interactive approach reinforces the aftercare principles in a way that’s engaging. We find that many customers remember the info better after taking a quiz or two.
• Proactive Order Monitoring & Personalized Advice: This is a behind-the-scenes aspect of our aftercare, but one we’re proud of. Our system keeps track of your prescription details and purchase history to help flag any potential issues. For example, say you increase the power of your contacts significantly in a short period or you start ordering lenses more frequently than before (perhaps wearing them longer each day). Our algorithms and team will notice. In such cases, we might send you a friendly check-in email. It could say something like,“We see you’re ordering monthly contacts every 2 months, remember that monthly lenses should be replaced monthly once opened; if you’re stretching wear time, it can risk your eye health. Let us know if you need advice on lens types that fit your wear schedule.”
• Reminders for Check-Ups: While we can provide a lot of aftercare remotely, we always remind our customers that routine in-person eye exams and lens check-ups are still important. Typically, after you’ve been fitted for lenses, your Eye doctor might set a schedule such as every year or two for check-ups. These check-ups allow a professional to examine the health of your cornea and ensure the contacts still fit well. In our aftercare communications (emails, guides, articles), we encourage you to stick to those schedules. We might say, “It’s been almost 12 months since your last contact lens check-up, consider booking one to make sure everything is okay.” We never want online convenience to come at the cost of skipping essential eye care. By partnering with you on aftercare, we aim to complement the care you get from your local eye doctor, not replace it. Emphasizing the importance of regular contact lens check-ups is an essential part of contact lens aftercare.
Aligning with Professional Standards and Regulations
Everything we do in our aftercare program is aligned with what regulators and professional bodies expect from a safe contact lens supplier. We want to quickly address this, because it’s important for you to know that our practices aren’t just our own ideas of “good service”, they are rooted in industry standards designed to protect you:
The American Optometric Association and Aftercare: The American Optometric Association (AOA), the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emphasize that proper aftercare is essential to prevent serious complications such as microbial keratitis, Acanthamoeba infections and vision loss. These guidelines developed with input from bodies like the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists (CLAO) and the Contact Lens Section of the AOA focus on hygiene, compliance and regular check ups. Noncompliance such as poor cleaning or skipping visits is a leading risk factor for infections. We uphold these standards by offering aftercare with every single purchase that is made on our website.We provide:Personalised Aftercare Guide, Hygiene & Safety Tips, Aftercare Quizzes & Learning, Proactive Monitoring of Orders and Eye Health Content Hub to our USA based customers too when ordering from ContactLensesPlus.com
When you choose us, you’re essentially choosing a retailer who follows the same aftercare principles you’d get in a brick-and-mortar optometry practice.
• Professional Oversight: Our approach has a strong foundation, and a qualified Optometrist leads our aftercare strategy. John Dreyer isn’t just a figurehead; he actively writes content (you’ll find his articles and even his name as author on many Eye Health Central posts), answers customer queries and keeps our team updated on best practices. Having an Optometrist on staff means we can quickly implement any new guidance from the AOA and the AAO regarding contact lens care. It also means our advice is trustworthy. We encourage you to verify any advice we give with other reputable sources; you’ll find it holds up, because it’s coming from an eye care professional. In short, our aftercare services are provided under professional supervision,
• Customer First, Always: Regulators often emphasize that the patient’s welfare is paramount. This is a core value for us. It’s why we have generous policies like not selling you lenses beyond your prescription expiry date without verification, reminding you to update your prescription regularly, and offering that money-back guarantee if something isn’t right. We don’t ever want to be “just a seller.” We want to be your partner in vision care. All the aftercare elements we’ve described boil down to one thing: helping you wear your contact lenses safely and comfortably. If there’s ever any conflict between making a sale and doing the right thing for your eyes, we will choose your eyes every time, and that’s our promise as an eye care focused business.
What This Means for You
If you’re a long-time customer of Contactlensesplus.com, you may have already experienced the benefits of our aftercare program firsthand. Perhaps you’ve read some articles on our site when you had questions or you’ve contacted our Optometrist for advice or maybe you initially chose us because you saw that we take eye health seriously. We hope it gives you peace of mind to know that behind the scenes, we’re always working to keep you informed and safe.
For new customers or those considering us, we want you to feel confident that you won’t be left high and dry after hitting “Checkout.” We often hear from Customers who were hesitant about buying contacts online because they worried, “What if I have issues? Who do I call?” With us, you have a safety net: you can call us, you can email, you can live chat or you can message our Optometrist. We’re here to help, much like your local eye doctor would be. We even have structures in place to catch issues you might not notice and nudge you in the right direction (like those reminder emails or alerts based on your order patterns).
Your eye health is priceless. We truly believe that taking care of it is a shared responsibility. You, the wearer and us, the supplier, working together. We will continue to enhance our aftercare offerings and keep up with the latest in eye care to serve you better.
In summary, when someone claims that online retailers “just sell contact lenses,” you can smile knowing that Contactlensesplus.com is different. We sell contact lenses, yes, but we also provide aftercare that rivals the traditional eye doctor experience, all tailored for the convenience of online service. It’s the best of both worlds: great value, wide selection and professional care for your eyes. Thank you for trusting us with your vision, we don’t take that trust lightly and our aftercare program is one big way we aim to honor it.
If you have any questions about our aftercare services or anything else, drop them in the comments or reach out via the Ask Our Optometrist page. We’d love to hear from you and help in any way we can!)
