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The Advantages of Eyeglasses

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Eyeglasses have provided a means for humans to see clearly since a long time. Even with the advent of contact lenses and vision correction surgeries; eyeglasses continue to be a popular choice for millions of people across the world. There have been many innovations in the case of the humble eyeglass as well. From the lenses to the frames; people now have a number of options when needing to wear eyeglasses.

Here are some of the advantages of eyeglasses:

Offer Ease of Use and Maintenance

Eyeglasses are so easy to wear. Even little kids and the elderly can use eyeglasses without any hassles. Not everyone is comfortable wearing contact lenses as it can be rather cumbersome to do so. But with eyeglasses there is no such problem.

You don’t need to clean them with special solutions for a minute or two every time you need to use them. Even the little cleaning that it requires is easy to do using a soft cloth or perhaps a solution to remove any stains on the lenses.

It is also easy to buy eyeglasses anywhere. You can find eyeglasses in Colorado Springs as easily as you can buy them in a small town.

Provide a Certain Level of Comfort

Eyeglasses are no doubt comfortable to wear. With contact lenses, some people experience dry eye while others complain of irritation. With use of eyeglasses, there is no such problem. Some people also get headaches with use of contact lenses. With eyeglasses, you can choose the weight of the frame as per your comfort level and use them all day long without any discomfort. From metal frames to lightweight plastic frames; you can choose a style that works for you.

You can also choose the type of lenses as per your specific requirements, which can further increase your comfort level with use of eyeglasses. If you are bothered by sunlight or need to be out during the day a lot while wearing prescription eyeglasses, photochromic lenses offer the option of seeing clearly without exposing your eyes to the harmful UV rays.

Innovations in lenses for prescription eyeglasses have increased their comfort factor even more. You can now buy dust-resistant or scratchproof lenses for your eyeglasses too. Anti-glare technology helps people see clearly and comfortably when they need to wear eyeglasses while using a computer or at night while driving. Use of anti-glare lenses in the eyeglasses can also protect the eyes from excessive strain.

Offer a Safer Means to See Clearly

Due to the fact that eyeglasses remain outside your eyes, they pose no risk of infections. Eyeglasses can also prevent foreign materials such as dust, insects, or other irritants from entering the eyes while you are outdoors. It can be especially helpful when you are riding your bike, hiking, or trekking in areas with the presence of tiny insects in the air.

Provide a Budget-Friendly Option for Vision Correction

You can buy eyeglasses as per your budget. Simple prescription glasses and basic frames don’t cost much and can last for a long time. Unless your prescription changes or the lenses become damaged, you don’t need to replace your eyeglasses.

Vision correction surgeries can be expensive for some. Even use of contact lenses can be expensive in the long run as you need to replenish the disposable ones. Even one-time cost of regular contact lenses can be more than the basis eyeglasses.

Offer Stylish Variations

Gone are the days of the nerdy eyeglasses unless you specifically want to use one. In that case, you can still find eyeglasses for precisely this purpose. But now you don’t need to shun wearing eyeglasses just because they can make you look unattractive. Now, so many stylish variations of frames are available that wearing eyeglasses can be about making a fashion statement if you want to do so.

Eyeglasses for kids are available in styles and colors that make sense for them. They don’t need to bear with boring browns and bulky frames. You can now buy chunky styles, rimless variants, and even a material of your choice in terms of the frames.

What to Look out for when Getting Cards for Discount Prescriptions

Discount prescription cards have been around for a few years now, and many have found relief with them. Offered through government programs, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, some are meant for lower income individuals and others for seniors. But not all are as they seem. On its website, the FTC posted information regarding a discount card scam that targeted seniors. Stating that they were affiliated with either insurance companies or the government, and that these cards would give massive discounts on prescriptions and that some would even be free. They demanded bank account information stating that if seniors did not comply, it could affect their Medicaid benefits. They then withdrew around $300 out of the bank accounts given, with many never receiving their cards.

What to look for

As this website advises, no company is authorized to sell cards for discount prescriptions door-to-door or by the phone. If any company calls you offering a card, chances are they are not legitimate. Cards offered by insurance providers or pharmaceutical companies may be available by calling the companies directly or available to be printed off for free on their website but consumers should always make sure it is offered by the company and not a scammer site posing as them. Some cards may have a minor cost associated with them (similar to a Costco membership) but no legitimate one will ask for a Social Security Number or bank account information. If they do, call the FTC immediately to report them.

Other steps

If you are concerned about being at risk of discount prescription card scams or other schemes, there are many things you can do to lower the risk. Above all, trust your gut, but consider the following too:

1) Beware what you share. Don’t give out personal or confidential information with strangers over the phone or at the door. Legitimate companies will often already have the information they need, whether it is for discount prescription cards or other products.

2) Make a few calls. If someone calls you saying they represent the government, your insurance company, or other companies, and something doesn’t seem right, hang up and call the numbers you have for them (they can be found online or via company paperwork).

3) Beware of the hard sell. Scammers work by creating pressure and urgency. If at anytime during their pitch they apply pressure you, back out and give yourself space to think.

Legitimate cards for discount prescriptions can offer consumers valuable discounts and savings on many generic and brand name pharmaceuticals. People can get discounts anywhere from 10-80% but it is important to ensure that the card is genuine. More tips can be found online and many sites such as Snopes and others dedicate themselves to uncovering scams and myths, protecting the consumer. Other resources include many government websites such as the Police, FBI and FTC.

A discount prescription is a great thing that is available to everyone, and its free! But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there trying to take advantage of the program. Do your homework and choose a discount company you can trust.

How Helpful are Prescription Discount Cards?

Over the past ten years, the use of prescription medications for the alleviation of medical afflictions in the United States has been on a steady rise.  In fact, nearly 50% of Americans report having used at least one prescription medication in the last month.  Unfortunately, the price of these prescription medicines has increased as well; as a result of both of these increases, prescription discounts are becoming more and more necessary to combat the increasing costs of medical expenses in the US.

What are prescription medications?

Prescription medications are classified as controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (the CSA).  They are licensed medications which must be regulated, and as such can only be attained with medical permission or authorization in the form of a prescription.  Only certain medical professionals, including dentists, advanced practical nurses, optometrists, medical practitioners, certain psychologists, and veterinarians are authorized to prescribe prescription medications to their patients.  Prescription drugs fall into five different classifications, or schedules (based on their physiological and psychological effects, as well as their risk of abuse and addiction, and their medicinal usefulness), ranging from most extreme (schedule I) to least likely to form physiological or psychological dependence (schedule V).  There are thousands of different types of substances which are sorted into these categories, and new compounds are continuously being manufactured and developed by research facilities and drug companies in order to combat medical afflictions.  The nature of these substances, as well as the cost of research and manufacture, has caused the prices of prescription medications to remain high, creating the need for prescription discounts in order for the medications to be made accessible to everyone.

PrescriptionDiscountsHow much has prescription drug use increased?

According to statistics released by the CDC (the Centre for Disease Control), there was a 4% increase in the number of people who took at least one prescription medication a month between 1998 and 2008—that is an increase from 44% to 48% of individuals.  Further, the number of individuals who took two or more prescription medications a month increased by 6% between 1998 and 2008 (from 25% to 31%), and the number taking more than five prescription drugs in a month increased by 5% (from 6% to 11%) by 2008—and the numbers continue to climb.  In fact, by 2010, within only 2 years, the number of individuals using at least one prescription drug a month had increased to 48.5%.  Approximately 75% of visits to a physician’s office, 74.4% of hospital outpatient department visits, and 79.3% of hospital emergency department visits result in drug therapy, placing the combined number of ordered or provided prescription medications at more than 3.1 billion in the US in 2010 alone.  The increase in prescription usage between 2008 and 2010 forms a significant expenditure, considering that in 2008 alone the US spent $234.1 billion on prescription drugs, more than doubling what was spent in 1999.  With more and more individuals spending increasing amounts on prescription medications, prescription discounts are in greater demand than ever.

How can prescription discounts help?

Prescription discounts provide financial assistance for anyone who is struggling to cover the medical expenses associated with any form of illness or medical affliction.  Prescription medications can be pricey, and, for anyone who needs to regularly renew his or her prescription, can form costly repeat expenses.  When these costs are added on top of other medical costs, such as doctor’s appointments or specialized treatments, the cost of medical aid can quickly become unmanageable.

Who do prescription discount cards help the most?

While prescription discounts can help anyone who is required to purchase a prescription, they can be the most helpful to those who do not have access to medical insurance or prescription drug benefits.  In fact, statistics show there is a significant decrease in the number of people who take prescription medications between those who have access to medical insurance and those who do not (individuals with medical insurance are 22% more likely to use prescription medications than those who do not).  This means that there are a number of individuals who could benefit from prescription medications for relief from medical affliction that are unable to purchase these medications due to their high costs.  These are the individuals who prescription discounts can help most by making medical relief up to 80% more affordable.

Drug Discount Card – Save up to 80% on Your Prescription

What if we told you that with a drug discount card you can save up to 80% on your prescription? I bet that you would find this incredibly hard to believe, am I right? Well, happily enough, it’s true. If you had a drug discount card, it’s possible that you could save up to 80% on your prescriptions.

The concept of a drug discount card was created to help Americans save money on their prescription medications, by offering members a drug discount card they can use when they pay for prescriptions. Pharmacies are more than willing to accept these drug discount cards from customers for a number of reasons.

Why Pharmacies Accept Drug Discount Cards – Even up to an 80% Discount

Pharmaceuticals is a $500 billion industry so there is fierce competition between pharmacies. If a pharmacy doesn’t accept the discount card, they know the pharmacy across the street will, thus getting the cardholder’s business. If the card holder gets monthly prescriptions, they know how much that can add up to annually for their pharmacy.

All Medications are Identical

Since all medications are identical, it doesn’t matter which pharmacy a patient buys it from. Pharmacies are compelled to honor the drug discount card because they know the drugs they offer are the same as the drugs offered by their competitors -one pharmacy doesn’t have better Tylenol 3 than another.

DrugDiscountCardEssential and Non-Essential Medications

Even without competition, pharmacies know that some medications make life easier, but aren’t essential. For example, antacids. If the price is too high, some patients may not get their antacid prescriptions filled because it’s not important for their health, only their comfort.

When a pharmacy accepts the drug discount card, they know they will gain an entire market segment based on the price, because they would gain the patients who would pay for the non-essential medications because they can afford it, with a discount.

Increased Revenue from Other Sales

Pharmacies know that when they accept the drug discount card, they will have customers coming in their store who may buy a lot more than just their medication.

Have you ever wondered why stores often put their pharmacy so far in the back of the store? As you’re walking all the way to the back of the store, you go by thousands of products ranging from batteries to clothes, to stuffed animals and greeting cards, etc.  The more people coming in for prescriptions, the more money stores can make on other items in the store.

Who Creates Drug Discount Cards?

Drug discount cards are created by a group of managers called pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). The managers work with pharmacies in a lot of different ways. When it comes to drug discount cards, PBMs negotiate price discounts for their cardholders, knowing that pharmacies are willing to accept them, because of the above-noted reasons.

But what do the PBMs get out of it, you may wonder? When a prescription is filled using the PBMs discount cards, the PBM gets a small percentage of the revenue obtained from the sale, and now that you know what’s in it for pharmacies and PBMs, let’s take a look at how the consumer benefits from a drug discount card.

Prescriptions cost a lot of money, that’s a fact, and some people need expensive medications on a regular basis. Getting insurance coverage can sometimes be a serious problem, or too expensive if there is a pre-existing condition. Drug discount cards can save consumers up to 80% on prescription drugs at thousands of pharmacies across the U.S. On average, the drug discount card saves 15% on brand name prescriptions, and 55% on generic prescriptions, plus drug discount cards can be used over and over, because there is no expiry date on them.

How to get a Drug Discount Card

To get a drug discount card, all you have to do is go to a participating website and print your card. The card is free, and you don’t have to join a membership, or pay a monthly fee.

Essentially everyone wins with drug discount cards. Pharmacies and stores get more business, while cardholders get their prescriptions filled at a lower price. Sometimes drug discount cards help cardholders save up to 80% on the cost of their prescription and PBMs get a cut of the profits. It’s the classic win, win, win situation.