The Right to Your RX

 
 

By federal law, every eye care professional must give patients their eyeglass prescriptions after an eye exam. The prescription must include:

  • The patient’s name

  • The date of the patient’s exam and/or when the prescription was issued

  • When the prescription expires

  • The eye care professional’s name, contact information, and signature

 
 

 The full FTC ruling (called the Eyeglass Rule) can be found here: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/eyeglass-rule

Please note that eye care professionals can be subject to fines over $50,000.

 
 

Below is from the Federal Trade Commission website at https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-prescription-glasses-or-contact-lenses-your-rights :

Your eye care professional has to give you a copy of your prescription — whether you ask for it or not. It’s the law. For glasses, they must give you a copy after you get an eye exam.

To get your prescription, know that your eye care professional

  • can’t make you pay an extra fee

  • can’t say you have to buy eyeglasses

  • can’t tell you to sign a waiver or release

Here’s what to know:

  • You don’t have to obtain glasses from your eye care professional. You have a right to go and find (eyeglasses) in person or online. Having a copy of your prescription lets you do that.

  • Your eye care professional can, and probably will, charge you for the eye exam. But the eye care professional can only require you to pay for your exam or evaluation before giving you a copy of your prescription if they require immediate payment from all eye exam patients. Proof of insurance counts as payment for eye exam fees.

  • In some states, your eye care professional can charge you for a pupillary distance measurement. That’s measuring the distance between your pupils. You’ll need this measurement to get glasses online. A few states require eye care professionals to include the pupillary distance on the prescription, but many don’t. (New Eyes note: click here for easy instructions on how to measure your pupillary distance).

  • HIPAA doesn’t stop an eye care professional from giving out your prescription. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, protects your medical privacy. But your eye care professional can give your prescription to a business that has your permission to get it.

  • If you suspect violations of the Eyeglass Rule, you can report that online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. FTC attorneys and investigators use complaints to bring cases against companies and people that violate the law.