Compare contact lens prices across retailers from a prescription with Perplexity and save $150

Posted

Jan 22, 2026 by Dmitry Shamis (LinkedIn)

·

Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

·

Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

Outcome

Needing new contacts after an eye exam (the old lenses were discontinued), Dmitry Shamis found 1-800-CONTACTS expensive, so gave Perplexity the prescription and asked it to find prices. It checked 1-800-CONTACTS, Costco, Walmart and other sites and organized a comparison; Walmart was $150 cheaper for the same contacts, a retailer Shamis hadn't known sold them.

Agent

Perplexity

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to.

Goal: Find the cheapest trustworthy place to buy my exact contact lenses for a year's supply.

Fill in before running:
- Brand, lens type and prescription details (no personal ID numbers): [DETAILS]
- Quantity needed (e.g. 12 months, both eyes): [QUANTITY]
- Country or ZIP code for shipping: [LOCATION]

Rules:
- Check at least five retailers, including warehouse clubs and big-box stores.
- Compare the total for the same quantity, including shipping, tax and any rebates.
- Note which retailers need my prescription verified and how.
- Link every price so I can confirm it.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A table: retailer, total price, shipping time and link, cheapest first.

You'll know it worked when: I buy the same lenses for noticeably less without a second search.

Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to.

Goal: Find the cheapest trustworthy place to buy my exact contact lenses for a year's supply.

Fill in before running:
- Brand, lens type and prescription details (no personal ID numbers): [DETAILS]
- Quantity needed (e.g. 12 months, both eyes): [QUANTITY]
- Country or ZIP code for shipping: [LOCATION]

Rules:
- Check at least five retailers, including warehouse clubs and big-box stores.
- Compare the total for the same quantity, including shipping, tax and any rebates.
- Note which retailers need my prescription verified and how.
- Link every price so I can confirm it.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Mention any manufacturer rebate that changes the ranking.

Output: A table: retailer, total price, shipping time and link, cheapest first.

You'll know it worked when: I buy the same lenses for noticeably less without a second search.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dmitryshamis_i-saved-150-on-contacts-yesterday-because-activity-7420101986563518464-g7l7