An eye care prescriber needs to examine your overall eye health and give you a proper contact lens fitting before you wear lenses. It’s the law. Several viewers have asked me why they need to get their eyeglass prescription renewed every year. A prescription for glasses is good for two years from the date of the last eye exam. First, the minimum your contact lens prescription will be good for is one year**. Businesses that sell cosmetic lenses without getting a copy of your prescription, or verifying your prescription information with your eye care prescriber, are selling them illegally.Â. To get it, the prescriber, The prescriber has to give you your prescription for glasses at the end of your. When is my optometrist required to give me the prescription for my glasses? But the only way the prescriber’s office can require you to pay for the eye exam, contact lens fitting, or evaluation before giving you a copy of your prescription is if they require immediate payment from all eye exam patients. FTC attorneys and investigators — and hundreds of other law enforcement agencies — use these reports to bring cases against companies and people who don’t follow the law. My prescriber’s office says they can’t release my prescription because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). It's illegal for anyone to sell you eyeglasses or contact lenses without a valid prescription. You’ll also need to tell the seller how to get in touch with your prescriber to send a request to verify the information. An example of this is an eyeglass prescription written for a child whose nearsightedness is worsening year after year. Typically, the expiration date on a contact lens prescription is one year from the date of the exam when the prescription was written. How Long Do Eyeglass Prescriptions Last? Contact lenses, including cat eyes or lenses that change your eye color, can harm your eyes unless they’re properly fitted. The expiration date is the last day that your prescription can legally be used by optical shops and labs to make glasses or provide contact lenses. Having a single month left allows for only that month to be filled. The eyeglass lens prescription that you receive from your eye doctor will include an expiration date. Not without your prescriber’s approval. State law determines when your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses will expire. But the only way the prescriber’s office can require you to pay for the eye exam, contact lens fitting, or evaluation, corneal abrasion (cut or scratch on top layer of eye), allergic reactions (itchy, watery, red eyes), Not without your prescriber’s approval. By Beth Longware Duff; reviewed by Gary Heiting, OD. What are my rights under the FTC’s Eyeglass and Contact Lens Rules? A glasses prescription will be valid for two years. Ophthalmic dispensers must keep client records for six years or until the client turns 22, whichever is longer. How older drivers can improve their driving at night, Improve your driving at night: With tips on glasses and lenses. Typically we state that an outer limit for acceptably is two years. The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, effective, February 4, 2004, requires an optometrist to release the contact lens prescription to the patient immediately following an eye exam and the contact lens fitting. It's very common for the expiration date on an eyeglass prescription to be the date two years from the day of your eye exam when the prescription was written and given to you. The prescriber can give you your contact lens prescription electronically instead of a paper copy, but only if you agree, in writing or electronically, to get it that way, and agree to the specific method of delivery (e.g. A contact lens prescription may also include the maximum number of refills that may be dispensed before the prescription is expired. This can vary slightly depending on local laws, so check the legislation for your area. Your eye doctor may include the distance between your pupils (called pupillary distance) in your prescription. Join our community to receive newsletters and offers. Q: Can I have my prescription for contact lenses? 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