Serdar wrote:
Hi,
I have a question regarding legality. This is my first time I’m buying contact lenses. My opto told me that I need a training period. I did this 2 months ago and I paid $55 for this training since my lenses are customized toric. Then I had to go out of town for about 1.5 months. When I came back and I asked the price of lenses for 6 boxes, they told me a higher number. So, I asked them for my lens prescription in order to get advice from another opto but they didn’t give me my lens prescription. I only have my eyeglasses prescription, which I know little bit different than contact lens prescription. Are they allowed not to give me my prescription? Do I have to buy from that optometrist?
Thanks

ANSWER

Hi Serdar,
Customized toric lenses are a specialized product and do cost more than regular disposable contact lenses.  Generally if the contact lens fitting is completed then the prescription for contact lenses can be released.  However if the fitting was not completed then the contact lens prescription is not released as there is no final prescription.  To have the fitting complete all of the follow up visits must be attended to and the contact lens fit and vision through them need to be satisfactory to the optometrist.  If all of these things were not completed the fit is not finalized.  If you are going to visit another optometrist they are likely going to do a new fitting on you, as they will want to ensure that everything is satisfactory with the contact lenses before you purchase them.  You would just need your glasses prescription in that case.
Dr. Doman

Lucia wrote:
Hello,
Regarding prescriptions, do I have the right to ask for my PD when I have my eyes examined by a licensed optometrist? I would like to have to option to shop around when I get new glasses, and since I am paying for a service (the eye exam), I would like to have a complete prescription written out. What resources do I have if I am denied the PD value for my prescription?

Thank you.

ANSWER

For regular glasses, a PD is not part of the prescription.  The person who makes your glasses needs to check that themselves and they have special instruments to do that.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Marla wrote:
Is it true that an optometrist and ophthalmologist use a different system to measure or determine the prescription needed for glasses.  I was told that a prescription from an ophthalmologist must be “converted” to optometrists’ measurement and that I may still require seeing an optometrist for another test of my eyes to get new glasses.

Please advise, thanks,
Marla

ANSWER

Marla,
It is true that optometrists and ophthalmologists use different ways of recording a glasses prescription.  Optometrists use what is known as ‘minus cylinder form’ and ophthalmologists use what is known as ‘plus cylinder form’.  They are both measuring the same thing, but are just recorded in a different format.  If you have a valid prescription from an ophthalmologist you would not need to see an optometrist for any additional tests before getting glasses.
Dr. Doman

Mark wrote:
Hi,
I began wearing glasses about 10 years ago for myopia as a child.  About 5 years ago, I dropped my glasses entirely, and instead began using contact lenses (at which point my prescription had not yet stabilized).  I currently use a prescription of -4 in each eye with contact lenses.  I recently purchased glasses for the first time in a while, using the -4 prescription given by my optometrist and immediately noticed a marked drop in visual acuity compared to that with my contact lenses.  Do I have to visit my optometrist (who was not aware of my purchase of glasses) to get a different prescription for glasses, or is a usual occurrence with glasses/contact lenses?

ANSWER

Mark,

If it has been more than one year since you saw your Optometrist to get that -4.00 prescription, I would suggest a new exam to make sure that the prescription is still adequate.  It is also true that vision often is better with contact lenses than with glasses, even if the prescription is completely up to date.  The contact lenses sit right on the surface of the eye, and allow the images to remain very close to normal size.  Glasses sit farther away from the eye and minimize (make smaller) the image which makes it seem more out of focus.   I’d still recommend and exam just to be sure.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Barry wrote:

On my prescription in the OD box my doctor has written PL instead of a number. What does this mean?
SPH CYL AXIS
OD PL -1.00 090
OL +0.25 -1.25 085

ANSWER

Dear Barry,

PL is a short form for the word plano which means zero or no power. Your glasses have been designed to correct astigmatism. In your right eye, the lens will have no effective power along the vertical axis (when measured along the 90 degree axis) and will have an affective power of –1.00 dioptre when measured along the horizontal axis.

Thank you for your question.
Dr. Smit