A contact lens prescription is made up of specific information which is available on the packaging of the contact lenses you are currently wearing, from your written prescription, or from your optometrist or optician.
A standard prescription looks like this:
Description
OS (left eye)
OD (right eye)
Brand Name
Name of Lenses.
Acuvue 2
Acuvue 2
Power/Sphere
A number between -20 and +20.
-2.50
-2.75
Base Curve
A number between 8.0 and 10.0 or a phrase, such as steep or flat.
8.7
8.7
Diameter
A number between 13.0 and 15.0.
14.2
14.2
If you have astigmatism, or need toric lenses, we will also need to know:
Description
OS (left eye)
OD (right eye)
Cylinder
A number between -4.00 and +4.00.
-2.75
-1.50
Axis
A number between 0° and 180°.
180°
95°
In most states eye-care professionals are required by law to provide you with a copy of your contact lens prescription upon request. Be sure it contains all the necessary information, including expiry date, and is signed by your eye-care professional.
Getting Your Prescription From Your Eye Care Practitioner
There are 3 types of eye care practitioners in the United States and Canada: Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and Opticians. Ophthalmologists (MDs) and Optometrists (ODs) can prescribe contact lenses while Opticians are licensed only to prepare and fit contact lenses, and can not prescribe contact lenses.
New Federal legislation went into effect February 4, 2004 requiring that your eye care practitioner release a copy of your contact lens prescription to you after you have been fitted for contact lenses. The law falls under the "Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act" and not all eye care practitioners are up-to-date with what the law says and requires of them. This prescription is valid for at least 1 year from the release date (the date your eye care practitioner releases the prescription to you).
It is a good idea, before making an appointment for a contact lens prescription to ask your eye care practitioner if they will provide you with a copy of your prescription after you've been fitted. Some eye care practitioners are making it difficult for patients to get a copy of their prescription - or are not providing their patients with a copy of their prescription at all. This makes it difficult for those patients to obtain contact lenses from anyone other than the prescribing eye care practitioner. This is against the "Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act".
Know your rights - you have a right to a copy of your prescription.
You also have a right to have this prescription filled wherever you choose.
Be sure to get a copy of your contact lens prescription the next time you visit your eye care practitioner. You paid for it when you paid for your eye exam.
Here are a few things to look out for when obtaining your contact lens prescription:
Ensure you have a contact lens prescription and not an eyeglass prescription. (see the section below called "Reading your Prescription" to learn how to make sure that you've gotten a contact lens prescription).
Be wary of scare tactics such as making you sign a waiver or release to obtain your prescription or attempting to charge you a fee. These tactics are wrong and are designed to prevent you from going somewhere else.
Eye care practitioners may also attempt to convince you have to come "pick your prescription up"; or that they can't release it more than once. Again these claims are false. Remember: you have the right to your own medical record whenever you want and the right to have the prescription filled wherever you choose.
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute advice provided by your family physician or other medical professional. We require a valid doctor's prescription for all pharmacy orders.
