This review offers a side by side comparison of two well-respected online contact lens buying sites – if you came to learn more about which one you should buy–you came to the right place.
Waldo vs. 1-800 Contacts
Waldo Contacts! Their design, online order process, customer support, and (above all) price is all second to none. Check out the side-by-side comparison and in-depth review of Waldo and 1800 Contacts below.
Available Options
Waldo
Waldo offers just one contact lens option and stands behind it. Their lenses are made of high grade Etafilcon A materials, which is composed of 58% water and allows for all day comfort. The FDA-approved design is cultivated to fit each contact wearer’s unique shape and preference while providing exceptional vision.
Waldo contacts are high-quality daily disposables. People who use Waldo (which you can try for free) receive a pack of 30 contacts at the start of every month.
1-800 Contacts
1-800 Contacts is a third-party online contact lens seller. Buying from 1-800 Contacts, users can select from any number of traditional contact lens brands, with which they are likely already familiar or to which they are being referred by their optometrist. These brands include:
- Acuvue
- Air Optix
- Avaira
- Biofinity
- Biomedics
- DAILIES
- Extreme H2O
- FreshLook
- Proclear
- PureVision
- SofLens
In addition, each of these brands offers a myriad of contact lens options under their brand name, from contacts built specifically for presbyopia to colored contact lenses.
In summary, 1-800 Contacts is a large online seller, where you can order online just about any of the contact lens brands you might otherwise pick up at your local pharmacy.
Customer Reviews:
Companies can provide potential customers with all the data they want, but ultimately, hearing what the end user has to say is what matters. In this section, we’ve collected reviews from several online sources to give you an overview of what people like and don’t like about Waldo and 1-800 Contacts.
Waldo
Pros: Waldo contacts receive rave reviews from the customers who use their service. The company is hailed for having exceptional quality while maintaining affordability, at almost half the price of most other online contact lens retailers.
Additionally, their customer service and shipping speeds are also well-regarded, citing that it is much faster than receiving contacts in the traditional manner. Plus, the option of auto-renewal and delivery right to the wearer’s door makes maintaining eye care easy and convenient with Waldo.
Cons: Waldo as a company is still in its infancy. Only being started in 2016, awareness about this company and its product is slim. While this is only an issue by default, it still doesn’t work in the company’s favor. People tend to stick to companies that they know, and (despite Waldo’s innovation) trust must be garnered over years of impeccable service.
1-800 Contacts
Pros: 1-800 Contacts is probably the best known online retailer of contacts, with over 60 different brands of contact lenses to choose from and a range of options available for each brand. 1-800 Contacts has a receptive customer service offering, with many customers sharing that they go above and beyond to help rectify an issue.
Customers also like the unique feature belonging to 1-800 Contacts of both an iOS and Android app that tracks orders, helps the user reorder contacts, and even reminds the user when it is time to change their contacts.
Additionally, the process for returns and exchanges is well-documented throughout their website, which allows customers to easily access this information and get the right contacts quickly.
Cons: While their service is generally praised, there seems to be many issues with the online eye exam available through 1-800 Contacts. With this system, customers are led to believe this website integrates telemedicine and online retail in a quick and efficient manner. However, there are issues with the speed of receiving the prescription, as well as the perceived legitimacy of the company’s exams.
Pricing:
While everyone wants to get the best contacts, most people have a budget to which they need to stick, making the vast variety of price points in the contacts industry difficult to work with.
Comparison Chart
| 1-800 Contacts | Waldo | |
| Specialize in | Selection of Brands | One Optimized Design |
| Daily | Yes | Yes |
| Disposable 1-2 Week | Yes | No |
| Extended Wear | Yes | No |
| Toric / Astigmatism | Yes | Yes |
| Colored | Yes | No |
| Multifocal | Yes | No |
| RGP | No | No |
| UV Protection | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $94/45 days | $36/30 days |
| Design | Variety | One |
Insurance Coverage
For many people, the type of contact lenses they can buy is heavily dependent on the type of insurance coverage to which they have access. Fortunately, for people who need to rely on vision insurance, both companies offer options that might help alleviate some of the expense, depending on the coverage that each customer has available.
Waldo
Waldo contacts do not work directly with any insurance company, but if the customer has contacts coverage, the wearer is able to send the receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement. The availability of this option varies depending on the specific coverage a customer has, but there is an opportunity to receive either partial or full reimbursement. You can find your receipt in your email after check-out as well as on your online accounts.
In addition, if a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) is attached to a major credit card, Waldo will be able to honor the program at the time of purchase.
1-800 Contacts
There are many in-network options that accept 1-800 Contacts, some of which include Cole Managed Vision, Davis Vision, EyeMed, Spectera, and VSP. These can be handled as a traditional insurance claim. Yet, even if the customer doesn’t have an insurance provider that accepts 1-800 Contacts as an in-network vision care option, customers can still send-in their receipts for reimbursement. This would be handled as an out of network claim and is completely dependent on coverage, but this avenue is beneficial for many people.
Additionally, 1-800 Contacts allows customers to use FSA cards, either directly (if they have a card handy) or as a reimbursable invoice, much like the out of network insurance claim.
Conclusion:
This is a classic case of selection vs. ease of use. If you want an excellent daily contact lens, you don’t have an astigmatism, and Waldo’s contact lens fits your eye, then go with Waldo. Their design, online order process, customer support, and (above all) price is all second to none.
If on the other hand you want greater selection, then you can pick from one of many options on 1-800 Contacts’ online store. Their price guarantee and long standing in the industry means you can buy a traditional contact brand without much worry.
Hopefully, this list was helpful in deciphering which company is right for your vision needs. For deeper insight on how Waldo contacts compare to specific brands, check out the Waldo vs. Acuvue Review!
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