Bausch + Lomb is the original manufacturer of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. The company developed them to provide pilots with high levels of sun protection during WWII.

1853 - Bausch + Lomb is founded by optician John Jacob Bausch and his business partner Henry Lomb in New York and starts out making monocles for gentlemen.

1853 - 1900 - The company innovates a whole new type of glasses frame made from rubber, in response to the soaring price of horn (traditionally used to make glasses frames).

1936 - Bausch + Lomb designs the Ray-Ban Aviator for WWII pilots. These super reflective sunglasses replaced flight goggles and provided better protection from the sun.

1971 - The company releases SofLens contact lenses, the first soft contact lenses available to the public. These lenses provided higher comfort levels and water content than standard hard lenses.

2002 - PureVision is created, a monthly contact lens with AerGel technology for extra comfort

2008 - ReNu MPS multipurpose contact lens solution is created, designed especially for silicone hydrogel contact lenses

2012 - Bausch + Lomb releases Biotrue one day contact lenses, made from a super comfortable material called HyperGel.

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.

How often should I have my eyes tested? 

Opticians recommend that everyone receives an eye test at least every two years. Contact lens wearers need to attend an additional check-up to ensure their lenses still meet their prescription; this is usually every 12-24 months depending on the recommendation of your optician.