When you get an eye exam, the prescriber is required to give you a copy of your contact lens prescription when the fitting is complete, even if you don’t ask for it. You can use this prescription at another vendor or to order contact lenses on the Internet, over the phone, or by mail. See Buying Contact Lenses.

As defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the contact lens rule, a prescription should contain sufficient information for a seller to completely and accurately fill the prescription. This includes the following items:

• Patient's name
• Examination date
• Date patient receives prescription after a contact lens fitting (issue date) and expiration date of prescription
• Name, address, phone number and fax number of prescriber
• Power of the prescribed contact lenses
• Material and/or manufacturer of the prescribed contact lens
• Base curve or appropriate designation of the prescribed contact lens
• Diameter, when appropriate, of the prescribed contact lens
• For a private label contact lens, the name of the manufacturer, trade name of the private label brand, and if applicable, trade name of equivalent brand name

FTC and The Contact Lens Rule

After giving you a copy of your prescription, prescribers who sell lenses or have a direct or indirect financial interest in the sale of contact lenses are required to ask you to sign a confirmation that you received the prescription.  The prescriber must  keep the signed confirmation  for at least three years. Sellers must take steps to verify the contact lens prescription, as described in the FTC’s rule.

Additional Information from FTC