Start with your fitter
The cheapest safe routine is the one your fitter has approved for your eyes and your lens. Tell them cost is a problem. They may know a lower-cost fill that suits you, have samples, or be able to simplify your routine. A few wearers found they were using more products than they needed; others found a cheaper fill made their eyes red by evening and switched back. Change one product at a time, and only with your fitter’s agreement.
Saline: compare cost per fill
Fill saline is usually the biggest ongoing cost, because you use a fresh dose every time you insert a lens.
- Single-use vials are sterile until opened and don’t need a discard date, but you throw away the leftover each time.
- Preservative-free bottles waste less but have a limited life once opened. PuriLens, for example, says to discard any remaining solution 14 days after opening.[6] Many fitters prefer a much shorter window for filling. Ask yours.
Work out what one fill costs you with each option, including what you throw away, rather than comparing box prices. Wearers who use one lens, or who fill twice a day, often find the answer differs from what they expected.
Prescriptions, insurance, and tax-advantaged accounts
- Saline on prescription. Some wearers’ fitters prescribe unit-dose saline that a pharmacy fills, sometimes covered by insurance. Pharmacies and plans vary, and some won’t cover saline used off-label. Ask before you rely on it.
- HSA and FSA. IRS Publication 502 says you can include contact lenses needed for medical reasons as a medical expense, along with the equipment and materials required to use them, such as saline solution and enzyme cleaner.[1] That usually makes supplies eligible for HSA and FSA funds. See paying with an HSA or FSA.
- Medical insurance. Coverage of the lenses themselves depends on your plan and diagnosis; see medical vs vision insurance.
- Canada. See supplies in Canada for tax and licensing notes.
Buying in bulk, safely
Bulk buying and subscriptions can lower the unit cost. To make sure it actually saves money:
- Check expiration dates before you buy, and only buy what you’ll use in time. The FDA advises not using solutions past their expiration or discard date.[2]
- Store supplies as the label directs, away from heat and freezing.
- Rotate stock, using the oldest first.
- Watch for recalls. A big stockpile of a recalled lot is money lost. See shortages, recalls, and counterfeit saline.
Where to buy
Wearers compare prices between the maker’s own site, their fitter’s office, pharmacies, warehouse-store pharmacies, and online retailers. Prices for the same product can jump suddenly online. Buying direct from the maker sometimes works out cheaper during those spikes.
Be wary of unfamiliar brands. Cheap saline from sellers you’ve never heard of tends to appear online during shortages. The FDA has warned about copycat eye products that consumers can easily mistake for a known brand, some of which were contaminated.[4] Buy products with a known maker, a lot number, and an intact seal.
Shortcuts that aren’t worth it
These come up often among wearers trying to save money. They’re the ones most likely to cost you far more.
Do
- Open a fresh vial for every fill.
- Use fresh disinfecting solution every night.
- Buy sealed products from known makers.
- Ask your fitter before switching to a cheaper product.
Don’t
- Save an opened vial for a later fill.
- Top up yesterday's case solution.
- Use water, homemade saline, or salt tablets.
- Dilute stronger hydrogen peroxide yourself.
- Pour solution into smaller bottles.
Why each one matters:
- Reusing opened vials and topping off remove the protection that sterility gives you. A report of Acanthamoeba infections in scleral wearers recommended sterile, preferably single-use saline and warned against topping off.[5]
- Water and homemade saline aren’t sterile. The FDA advises never using them.[2]
- Improvised peroxide risks a burn. Peroxide must be neutralized in the case that comes with each new bottle, and never used to rinse a lens before insertion.[3]
- Decanting into small bottles can affect sterility.[2]
What wearers say
- The biggest savings come from the fitter. Wearers who asked often found a cheaper fill that worked, or learned they could drop a product.
- Using less of an add-in helps. Some wearers who add a thick drop to their fill found fewer drops worked just as well. Ask your fitter before changing it.
- Waste is the hardest part. Throwing away half a vial feels wrong. Most experienced wearers accept it as the cost of safe wear.
What to ask your fitter
- Is there a lower-cost fill or solution that would suit my eyes?
- Can you prescribe my saline, and how should the prescription be written?
- Can I simplify my routine without risking my eyes or my lens coating?
- Do you have samples I could try before buying in bulk?
Common questions
Will my insurance pay for saline?
Sometimes. Some wearers get unit-dose saline on prescription and covered by their pharmacy benefit, sometimes after prior authorization. Others find it isn't covered, or that a pharmacy won't fill a prescription for an off-label use. Ask your fitter to write the prescription, and ask your plan before you fill it.
Can I use generic hydrogen peroxide to save money?
Only with your fitter's agreement and exactly as a contact lens peroxide system's label directs. Use the case that comes with each new bottle, soak for the full time, and never rinse with or put unneutralized peroxide in your eye. Never dilute a stronger peroxide yourself. The savings aren't worth a chemical burn.
Is it OK to use half a vial per eye if I only wear one lens?
No. Once a single-use vial is open, it isn't sterile. Use a fresh vial for every fill. Some wearers use the leftover to rinse a lens before it goes into its disinfecting solution, never to fill a lens later.
Can I pay for supplies with my HSA or FSA if the product isn't marked eligible?
Often yes. The IRS counts the materials needed to use medically necessary contact lenses, such as saline, as medical expenses. Some wearers submit receipts for solutions not marked eligible and are reimbursed; others have to send more documentation. Check with your plan administrator.