Buzz
While many eye exam providers aim to sell you glasses, the Federal Trade Commission ensures you can shop around. The FTC enforces a rule that guarantees you access to your prescription, and they are actively addressing providers who refuse to share it.
The FTC outlines its Eyeglass Rule as follows:
The Eyeglass Rule mandates that prescribers must give patients their eyeglass prescription right after an eye exam that includes a refraction, regardless of whether the patient asks for it. It also prohibits prescribers from forcing patients to purchase glasses to obtain a prescription, placing a liability waiver on the prescription, requiring patients to sign a waiver, or charging extra for a prescription copy. Moreover, they cannot deny an eye exam based on the patient's decision not to buy eyewear, contact lenses, or other optical goods from them.
There's also a regulation regarding contact lenses that shares similar requirements.
Your prescriber is legally obligated to provide you with your prescription, even if you don’t request it. If they fail to do so, they are breaking the law. With that prescription in hand, you're free to shop around for glasses or contacts from any retailer.
The FTC provides a webpage outlining what must be included in the prescription and debunking several common excuses that prescribers often use. Handing over your prescription doesn’t violate HIPAA, and they cannot require payment for the eye exam before giving it to you—unless they charge everyone for the exam at the time of service. However, one thing they are allowed to withhold is your pupillary distance, which isn't required in the prescription by law. In some states, they can even charge for that detail.
If your prescriber continues to refuse to provide the prescription, the FTC reminds you that you have the option to report a legal violation here.
