There are 3 brand families that Acuvue contact lenses fall under, including:

• 1 Day Acuvue - Convenient daily disposable contact lenses that are ideal for a hassle-free eye care routine, promising comfort throughout the day.

• Acuvue 2 - Designed to minimise eye irritation, these lenses are multi-faceted and easily removable, with a smooth front surface and slight tint.

• Acuvue Oasys - Oxygen permeable lenses, which continuously keep dry eyes moist and allow for a smooth fit.

• LACREON™ - Inspired by the effect of your tears in maintaining moisture in your eyes, this technology nourishes the eyes with moisture, creating a cushioning effect.

• HydraMax™- A type of technology found within the monthly contact lenses that features an uncoated silicone hydrogel to keep the eyes incredibly hydrated and comfortable.

• HydraLuxe™ - Created to alleviate dryness and friction through the revolutionary design of breathable hydrated silicone and tear-like molecules, this technology provides a pleasant fit.

• Hydraclear Plus™ - This technology reduces dryness and locks in moisture, guaranteeing a fresh feeling all day long.

• Stereo Precision™ - A technology that works with your eyes' natural function to provide balanced vision, regardless of the distance or lighting conditions.

Johnson & Johnson developed the world's first disposable soft contact lens in 1987. It was an Acuvue lens that utilised the company's etafilcon A materials.

1950s - 1980: Frontier Contact Lens Company, led by optometrist Seymour Marco, developed a new, more comfortable contact lens material known as etafilcon A. This water-loving, or hydrophilic type of soft hydrogel became the material used in several Acuvue contact lenses, including 1 Day Acuvue Moist; one of the most popular contact lens brands worn today.

1981: Frontier Contact Lenses was sold to Johnson & Johnson who renamed the company Vistakon, and they then overhauled the production processes, so that their super comfy contacts could be brought to a wider audience.

1987: Acuvue brand contact lenses were released in 1987, the world's first disposable soft contact lenses available to a big audience.

1995: Johnson & Johnson launches 1 Day Acuvue, the first daily disposable contact lenses. They're made with ultra-breathable materials that make it possible for those with dry eyes to enjoy healthy vision.

1997: Johnson & Johnson adds UV (ultraviolet) protection to all of its disposable Acuvue contact lenses.

1998: Acuvue Bifocal lenses for presbyopia are released, helping those with age-related macular degeneration.

2005: Acuvue Oasys two-weekly lenses are released, with the technology Hydraclear Plus™ for a more moisturised, comfortable feel.

2006: 1 Day Acuvue Moist contact lenses are available for the first time, bringing extra comfort and convenience to daily contact lens wearers.

2008: 1 Day Acuvue Trueye contact lenses are released, with Hydraclear™ 1 Technology for unparalleled comfort.

2014: Acuvue's first coloured contact lenses become available in the UK, 1 Day Acuvue Define. They're designed to subtly enhance the colour of your iris without looking unnatural.

2015: 1 Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal are released, providing an alternative to reading glasses for patients with presbyopia.

At Vision Direct, we sell the same contact lenses and eye care products from the same manufacturers as high street opticians at up to 45% less. As a standard, you can get free next-day delivery on all orders over the value of £59. Plus, we offer discounts to our email subscribers who can get early access to our promotions throughout the year, including our seasonal sales and Black Friday discounts. Plus, the majority of our parcels are letterbox friendly, so you don’t need to be home to receive your lens order. We offer all this without the need to have your prescription validated. Yet if you prefer, our resident optician is on hand to check your contact lens prescription as well as provide expert advice on how best to care for your lenses. And if you have any queries about ordering with us, our trained and friendly customer service team is just a call or message away. It's no surprise that we have tens of thousands of 5-star reviews on Trustpilot.

Buying your lenses with us is straightforward.

When buying contact lenses online, all you need to do is double-check your prescription on the side of a box of contact lenses you recently bought, enter the details and go through the simple checkout process.

Step 1: Navigate to any of our product pages to find your contact lens prescription details.

Step 2: On the right-hand side of the page, you can enter your contact lens prescription. If you're unsure how to read your prescription, follow the link to find out and watch our handy video for some easy-to-follow advice.

Need some help? Send us a picture of your prescription, and we can quickly double-check your details.

Step 3: Once you’ve made your selection, click “Add to Basket”.

Step 4: Check that everything looks correct in your basket. If you’re ready to order, select “Proceed to Checkout”.

Step 5: Provide your Delivery and Billing Address and enter your payment method. Accept our terms and conditions and select “Place Order”.

It’s as easy as that! See for yourself and start your contact lens order now.

Learning how to read your contact lens prescription might be daunting at first. All contact lens prescriptions include a least three values: base curve, diameter, and power. However, for toric or multifocal lenses additional values will be added to the prescription, usually no more than four.

The specifications you can expect to see are as follows:

Base Curve (BC): The curvature of the lens in millimetres usually between 8.3 and 9.0.

Diameter (D): The diameter of the contact lens. This number ranges from between 13.8 to 14.5.

Power (PWR/SPH): Is a + or - figure followed by a number e.g. -4.50 or +0.25. This represents the level of visual correction needed, and whether your lenses correct long-sightedness (plus/+ powers) or short-sightedness (minus/- powers). For some contact lenses, the power may also be 0.00, plano or displayed with this symbol ∞ which is for non-prescription use e.g. coloured contact lenses.

If you have astigmatism or wear multifocal contact lenses you can read out full guide on how to read your contact lens prescription.

Many high street opticians offer their own brand contact lenses that are just rebranded and repackaged products from popular contact lens brands and manufacturers, such as Alcon, Biofinity, and CooperVision.

We stock the exact same lenses at competitive rates as well as next day delivery, knowledgeable customer service, and a 365-day replacement guarantee and a price match promise. The only differences between the lenses we stock, and the high street is the name on the box are the packaging and most importantly the cost. See all opticians’ contact lens brand equivalents here.