Gone are the days when every contact lens was custom made and with a cheap contact lens, gone too are the high prices. All the popular brands can be bought for less than their list price. Which means that a cheap contact lens is also a quality lens.

A lot has changed since the first plastic contact lenses were made. The invention of soft contact lenses represented a significant change in how contact lenses were made. Prior to soft lenses, contacts were custom fitted to each wearer. And because of this, they couldn't be mass-produced which kept their price high. But because a soft lens can adapt itself to the shape of an eye, a cheap contact lens became possible.

The flexibility of a soft contact lens lets it adjust to minor variations in the eye's surface. And that means that only a few sizes of lenses are needed to fit any eye. So soft contacts are easily made on automated equipment which leads to a cheap contact lens.

Besides the lower manufacturing cost, there are other reasons for the low price of a cheap contact lens. One of the trends in business is to focus on selling a single item. 1800 Contacts for example, sells just contact lenses and in less than ten years has grown to be the world's largest lens seller. And their volume buying means they can get better prices and pass those savings to you.

Another recent trend which has helped produce a cheap contact lens, has been the growth of selling on the Internet. This has allowed businesses to reduce their normal operating costs. A low-rent warehouse can replace a high-rent store and automated ordering can replace clerks. And when a business can lower its costs, it can sell its products for less.