Is it illegal for a person who lives in the US to order contacts without prescriptions online?

We don't think so but if someone can point to some statutes or laws or examples of US citizens being prosecuted for buying contacts without a prescription online we will update this article and post or link to any legitimate links or articles of authority.  Please read the question carefully before sending examples of laws regarding the selling of contact lenses without prescription for US based businesses.  We understand it is illegal for any US based company (retail or online) to sell contacts without performing a prescription verification.  This has long been established and is well known.  Our question is specific to the buyer of the lenses and not the seller.  For example as anyone ever been prosecuted for buying their contacts without a current prescription from a source outside the US that ships contacts world wide?

There are generally 2 types of transactions involved when someone speaks of contacts without a prescription.  The first is when someone is actually looking to purchase color contacts or cosmetic lenses that do not come in prescription strength and so do not correct vision.  The second is when someone who has an expired prescription wishes to buy a refill of their contacts without prescriptions verification so they can continue to see properly without spending the money to go back to the eye doctor each year.  This is not recommended if your eye sight has been changing over the past few years.  Even with the first scenario it's important to understand it is still illegal for a US based company to sell non-prescription contacts without a prescription verification.  Why?  Because in the US even non-prescription, plano or non-vision correcting contact lenses are considered medical devices and as such can not legally be dispensed in a US based shop or shipped to a US address from an online retailer with operations based in the US.  While this is absolutely the law selling non-prescription colored contacts is a huge Internet business and many stores sell and ship these products to the united states.  Circle lenses, cosmetic contact lenses, colored contacts and many more variations are growing in popularity and continue to cause headaches for FDA officials that want to restrict all contact lens purchases to prior approval by certified eye care professionals.

Please offer any refuting or supporting links and we will do our best to update this page accordingly.

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