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The 8 Best Online Eye Exams

The 8 Best Online Eye Exams

Updated on July 23rd, 2026 – You use your eyes every waking moment of the day. They are your window to the world and crucial to almost everything you do. Regardless of your age or physical health, routine eye exams help keep your eyes healthy and your vision prescription up to date. During an eye exam, an eye care professional (ECP) will examine the sharpness of your vision, eye sensitivity, and possible vision needs, including whether options like contact lenses for farsightedness may be appropriate. 

However, scheduling an in-office appointment can be difficult when you factor in travel time, provider availability, and cost. If you need a comprehensive exam or contact lens fitting, searching for prescription contact lenses near me can help you review local eye care and purchasing options.

Today, glasses and contact lens companies offer online eye exams as a convenient alternative to in-office ones. Most online exams can be completed in 10 minutes or less with an internet connection, a computer, and a smartphone, and they may help eligible users renew straightforward prescriptions for nearsightedness contacts. More specialized vision needs, such as aphakic contact lenses, usually require direct guidance from an eye care professional to ensure proper fit, safety, and vision correction.

Short on time and need to renew your prescription for glasses or contact lenses? An online eye exam may help eligible users update their prescription more conveniently before ordering new lenses, including options such as HSA contact lenses when using eligible health savings funds for qualifying vision purchases.

The 8 Best Online Eye Exams

To help you decide if an online eye exam is right for you, we reviewed several eye care services that are currently available online. These are our picks for the best online eye exams, especially for eligible users who need a convenient prescription renewal before comparing contact lenses for all day comfort with their eye care professional.

Note: Prices are accurate based on research conducted in March 2024 but are subject to change without prior notice.

Retailer Cost Board-certified doctor Time commitment Test turnaround time Age restriction
1) Lens.com $30.00 Yes 5 – 10 minutes Within 24 hours 18-55
2) 1-800-Contacts $20.00 Yes 10 minutes Within a few business hours 18-64
3) ContactsDirect Temporarily unavailable Yes 10 minutes 1-2 business days N/A
4) Discount Contact Lenses Free (with purchase) Yes 15 minutes Within 24 hours 18-55
5) LensDirect $15.00 Yes 5 minutes Within 24 hours 18-55
6) Warby Parker $15.00 Yes 10 minutes Within 48 hours 18-65
7) WebEyeCare $50.00 Yes 5-15 minutes 1-2 business days 18-55
8) AC Lens Free Yes 15 minutes Within 24 hours 18-55

1) Lens.com

Lens.com makes re-ordering contact lenses fast and efficient with their online vision exam, letting users confirm that their prescription is still valid. The exam takes only 10 minutes, after which a board-certified ophthalmologist will review your prescription. Once approved, you’ll get a copy of your renewed prescription. You can then easily order Acuvue or any other brand like Air Optix, Dailies, Purevision, and ULTRA directly from the site. Lens.com also helps you save money by offering a generous Biofinity rebate and other manufacturer rebates on many popular brands. If for any reason you aren’t satisfied with your Vision Test purchase, Lens.com will make it right or refund the cost of their services.

2) 1-800 Contacts

1-800 Contacts offers a quick and convenient ophthalmologist-reviewed express exam, which lets customers take a simple online vision test to confirm that their contact lens prescription is still valid. For prescription renewals, your new, valid prescription will be issued by an ophthalmologist licensed in your state.

3) ContactsDirect

ContactsDirect is another platform that offers an online vision assessment and prescription renewal service. In addition to the vision test, customers who wish to use this service will need to undergo a redness check—the licensed optometrists will review the test results and determine if there’s any irritation. If no issues arise, you’ll have a new prescription in 1-2 business days.

4) Discount Contact Lenses

In addition to offering contact lenses at massively discounted prices, Discount Contact Lenses provides a free online vision test so you can renew your prescription from home and speed up your order. A licensed ECP will review your test results within 24 hours. Discount Contact Lenses will email you a PDF of your new prescription and process your order if you’re approved.

5) LensDirect

Try LensDirect’s 5-minute online vision test if you’re short on time. All you need is a smartphone and a computer or tablet display. Your computer or tablet will be your eye chart, while your smartphone will be the remote control. You’ll also need to show your driver’s license or credit card as part of the test so that the technology can calibrate adequately. 

6) Warby Parker

Renewing your eye prescription just got easier with Warby Parker’s Virtual Vision Test, a mobile application that lets you renew your prescription in no time. The Virtual Vision Test is ideal for those who see well with their current glasses or contacts, have a single-vision distance prescription, and have no eye health concerns. The application itself is free to download, but the vision test costs $5.00 for a limited time.

7) WebEyeCare

WebEyeCare has an extensive selection of popular contact lenses at affordable prices, and they offer an at-home vision test specifically designed for contact lens wearers. An ECP licensed in your state will review your test results and send your new prescription to you in 1-2 business days if no issues arise. Additionally, WebEyeCare also offers an at-home vision test for glasses wearers for only $39.99.

8) AC Lens

Skip the doctor’s office with AC Lens’s free online vision test. You’ll only need a computer, a smartphone, 10 feet of space, and 15 minutes. A licensed ECP will review your test within 24 hours. If you’re approved, AC Lens will email you a PDF of your new prescription and process your order. Aside from offering more than 42 brands of contact lenses, AC Lens also offers new members 20% off on all contact lenses. That way, you save a bit of money with your first order.

How Does an Online Eye Exam Work?

An online eye exam has a few steps. You will need a computer, internet access, and a few feet of space. Some online eye exams may also require a smartphone to download an application. You’ll also need to wear your existing glasses or contact lenses for some parts of the exam.

Most online eye exams begin with you setting up an account, and you’ll then need to answer a few questions about your eye health to confirm if you’re eligible to proceed. If you are eligible, you’ll be asked to look at your computer screen and read various displays of letters, shapes, or numbers based on traditional eye charts.

After the online eye exam has been completed, an ECP will examine the results. If no issues arise, you should be able to receive your results and/or prescription renewal for glasses or contact lenses from the ECP. This usually takes no more than 48 hours. However, note that not every state will allow you to renew a prescription this way, and specialty cosmetic options such as Sharingan contact lenses may still require proper fit, prescription details, and eye care professional guidance before purchase.

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The Bottom Line

Online eye exams are a convenient alternative to in-office exams to renew your prescription for your glasses or contact lenses. However, note that online eye exams are not intended to replace comprehensive, in-office eye exams with an ECP. If you think you have an eye condition that can threaten your vision, such as cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration, consult an ECP immediately.


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