Do contact lenses and glasses work the same way? do they both work to focus the light onto the retinabesides the prescription do they do the same job?

Yes: The essential purpose of refraction is to produce a clear, focused image on the retinal surface so that your vision sees things clearly. Glasses, contact lenses, lasik are a variety of treatment options that can be used to correct the refractive error of an eye. They all achieve excellent visual results, albeit, they differ in their methodology.