Elgin Family Eye Care
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Clicking the button below will take you to our secure affiliate website, YourLens.com. ​
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VISIT YOURLENS.COM / ELGIN FAMILY EYE CARE
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​Ordering your contact lenses has never been easier, whether you prefer to buy an annual supply all at once (for greatest savings) or subscribe to have your lenses auto-shipped on regular intervals (lowest individual payments).  Our YourLens practice site also helps you save even more by giving you convenient access to the highest lens rebates available anywhere.
CONTACT LENSES
Our doctors can fit virtually any type of contact lens, for virtually any eye.
Including...
  • Daily disposable, 2-week- or monthly- replacement soft lenses
  • Soft lenses for myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distortion at all distances), presbyopia (bifocals or monovision), cosmetic enhancement (color)
  • Peripheral Defocus lenses for Myopia Control (to slow or stop worsening of prescriptions)
  • Lenses for orthokeratology (overnight corneal reshaping so no lenses are needed during the day)
  • Custom scleral and corneal gas-permeable lenses (for complicated prescriptions or corneal disease)
  • Hybrid lenses (combine the excellent vision of gas-perms with the comfort of soft lenses)
  • Bandage lenses and amniotic membranes (used to heal injury)
The best lenses:  We utilize our experience, expertise, and patience to make sure that each patient finds their optimal contact lens.  We take pride in achieving success for patients who have been told by doctors in other clinics that they "just aren't a candidate for contact lenses" or that "this is as good as it gets."  And because we keep up with the rapid pace of innovation in the contact lens industry, oftentimes we are able to offer new and improved options that other practices don't even have access to.

The best prices:  Not only are our lenses competitively priced, but we offer the biggest annual supply rebates in the industry and we'll never surprise you with any "gotcha" fees or surcharges.  It's common to think that purchasing from a website will get you the best price, but our patients are pleasantly surprised to see that we usually beat online prices, sometimes by a LOT.  If that wasn't enough, we go even further for those who support us, with no-hassle returns/exchanges on unopened boxes, and we'll always help out in a pinch if you need an"emergency" supply of lenses (for example: if you rip your last lens and your appointment isn't for another two weeks, we'll give you free lenses to use until then).  And one more thing: most people don't realize it, but using your "in-network" insurance benefits with us will often give you a higher allowance to spend than websites that are forced to file for lower "out-of-network" benefits.  

​The most convenient:  We work hard to make your life (or at least your eye care) simple and easy.  We maintain one of the largest supplies of diagnostic and for-purchase lenses in stock, so we're able to fit the vast majority of patients without ordering and shipping delays.  Once we achieve the ideal fit, our large stock enables many patients to walk out of their exam with all the lenses they'll need for the entire year.  If you prefer, we can always have a year's supply of your lenses sent directly to your home, work, or school with free shipping.


Contact Lens FAQ / Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  I've been told before that I'm not a contact lens candidate.  Do I have options?
A:
  YES!  Almost anyone can successfully wear contact lenses.  We take pride in succeeding for our patients where others have failed.  In most cases, it's not the patient's fault, but rather their previous doctor didn't have the expertise or the willingness to take the time needed to be successful.

Q:  Do I need a contact lens prescription to wear contact lenses?
A:  Yes.  Contact lenses have the potential to do serious harm because they are in direct contact (thus the name) with your eye for many hours per day.  For this reason, contact lenses are regulated by prescription in the same way that potentially harmful medications are regulated.  In addition, the numerical prescription for contact lenses will be different than glasses for most patients, so you can not simply copy one to the other.

Q:  What's the BEST contact lens?
A:
  That depends mostly on you and your unique eyes.  Everyone's eyes are different, and your eyes are probably even a little different than they were a year ago.  Plus, new lenses hit the market every year, increasing our options and ability to better serve our patients.  This year's best lens for you may not have even existed last year.  Because of natural differences, it's not unusual for a lens to work fantastically for one patient and fail miserably on another. 

Q:  What's the difference between 1-day, 2-week, and monthly-replacement lenses?
A: 
 In general, the shorter the replacement schedule, the healthier the lens.  For this reason, we strongly recommend 1-day (also called daily disposable) contact lenses as a first choice for all of our lens wearers.  Why are re-usable lenses so much less healthy?  In a word, biofilms.  We are all familiar with bacteria, but what many don't realize is that individual bacterial cells stick to a lens and then begin to multiply and build the equivalent of bacterial forts.  A biofilm is a microscopic sludge of bacteria encapsulated in extracellular matrix proteins and sugars that protect the bacteria and make your cleaning and disinfection less effective.  The result is that even when you strictly follow cleaning and disinfection instructions (which never kills ALL of the germs), your re-usable contact lenses have more bacteria (and more biofilm sludge) growing on them (and held against your eyes) with each passing day.  Re-usable lens wearers know this intuitively, as a brand new lens is much more comfortable than a lens at the end of the month.  In a 1-day lens, however, you discard the lens approximately 18 hours or less after opening the sterile package, which means there simply isn't enough time for individual bacterial cells to multiply to unhealthy levels (and every day is that awesomely comfortable first day).  Plus, because long term durability isn't a concern with 1-day lenses, lens designers are able to make 1-day lenses softer and add moisturizers not possible with re-usable lenses.  Aside from the obvious health and comfort benefits, with 1-day lenses you never have to buy cleaning solutions or go through the hassle of lens maintenance.  They are by far the most convenient, as you can keep a handful of pairs in your gym bag, your work desk, your weekend bag, your car's console, or your school locker and always be prepared for anything.  

Q:  I've heard that it's risky to order contact lenses online.  Why?
A:
  Unfortunately, this is true far too often.  The biggest concern is that we see many examples of corporations who put profit ahead of patient safety.  If anyone offers you contact lenses without a prescription, you should know that they are breaking the laws that exist only to protect you, the consumer, PERIOD.  Similarly, some websites will offer a "new contact lens prescription" by having a remote doctor sign off on what amounts to a copy of your expired Rx, without having any ability to check for asymptomatic complications.  After operating for several years, only now is the government starting to shut down the first wave of these illegal websites.  In some equally egregious cases, websites actually sell contact lenses that are either totally counterfeit with fake labels, or lenses that were made for sale in foreign markets with lower safety standards.  Aside from the clinical health risks involved, we've seen concerning examples of how online corporations treat patient data.  These websites ask you to check a box up-front authorizing them to request your private health data (conspicuously with no expiration date on this authorization), but what patients don't realize is that these websites will often send us requests for additional patient data months after the last time the patient visits the site.

Q:  I want to make environmentally-friendly choices.  What can I do with my contact lens waste?
A:  Thanks for asking!  This is a priority for us as well, and we actively participate in a recycling program generously funded by Bausch and Lomb, a major eye care and lens company.  Through this program, we accept the plastic and foil components of the lens blister packs, as well as used lenses themselves (the cardboard boxes can be recycled through your residential service).  We have a collection box in our waiting room, and encourage patients to save their used lenses and blister packs and drop them off for recycling when they visit our office.  This applies to any brand of contact lens.

Q:  I like to wear glasses.  Why should I be interested in contact lenses?
A: 
In short, because every vision correction option (and everything in life for that matter) has their own strengths and weaknesses.  You may love your tennis shoes, but sometimes you simply need a nice pair of dress shoes.  Similarly, patients who prefer glasses in general may love the wide field of view they get when playing golf in contact lenses.  Or they may worry about losing their glasses when they go to the beach.  If they work in a restaurant or love cold-weather excursions, they may be annoyed by their glasses fogging up.  There are many reasons that contact lenses can be a fantastic option, even if you will always prefer your glasses for everyday wear.

Q:  My child wants to wear contact lenses for sports.  Is s/he old enough?
A:
  Great question.  There is no perfect age for kids to start wearing contact lenses.  Because contact lenses always carry some level of risk above an beyond glasses, we take the decision very seriously and on a case-by-case basis.  We also distinguish between purely "elective" contact lenses, which are chosen for cosmetic advantage or for sports, and medically-necessary reasons for contact lenses, such as myopia control, amblyopia, aphakia, or corneal scars.  On either end of the spectrum we have seen 5-year-olds who do remarkably well with safe and successful contact lens wear, and we see patients in their 50s who lack the maturity to do so.  The typical age for most kids to start wearing elective contact lenses is probably around 10-12 years old.  We always recommend 1-day contact lenses as a first choice, but this is especially true for our younger patients as this is the safest contact lens modality by a wide margin.
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Q:  Can I wear my contact lenses for days or weeks without removing them?
A:
  It's never a great idea.  Although some lenses have been granted FDA approval for overnight wear, wearing any contact lenses 24/7 greatly increases your risk of adverse effects, namely infection or chronic inflammation (both of which can be serious).  That said, there are legitimate reasons why the benefits may sometimes outweigh the risks (for example, emergency first-responders who are on-call).  Like any treatment, talk to your doctor and we will work to find the best overall solution for you that maximizes your benefit and keeps your risk as low as possible.


Q:  I'm mostly happy with my current contact lenses, but is there anything new I should know about?
A:
 
 Chances are, yes!  A great thing about the contact lens market is that we are in a time of rapid research and development, and new products and features come out multiple times every year.  Feel free to ask us for up-to-the-moment details the next time you stop by.
Contact Us
Elgin Family Eye Care
165 S. Randall Rd.
Elgin, IL 60123
Phone: (847) 888-1555
Fax:  (847) 888-2508
Office Hours 
Mon    9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tue     9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wed    9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Thu     9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Fri       9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat      8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Notice of Privacy Practices

  • Home
  • Our Practice
  • Our Services
    • Glasses
    • Contact Lenses (Order Online Here!)
    • Myopia Control
    • Advanced Diagnostics
    • Surgical Comanagement
    • iWellness Exams
    • Spanish/Espanol
    • Contact Lens Recycling
    • TeleHealth Services
  • Forms and Info
    • Patient Forms
    • EFEC Blog
    • Privacy Notice
    • Educational Links
  • Reviews
  • Location