Optometrist refuses to give contact lenses prescription

[canucksfan]

Like many of you, I buy my contact lenses online now. I went for an eye exam today, and my optometrist flat out refused to give me my contacts prescription (which is different than normal glasses prescription).

His argument was that since I'm not buying the contacts there, he won't have full control of the fitting etc, so he doesn't want to be liable in case there are any issues. I'm sure optometrists out there are losing a lot of business to these online contact lenses retailers, so I'm not surprised to see them pull something like this. However, what are you guys doing to get the proper prescription? Is there an accurate converter online that does this? Is my optometrist out of line? He also told me that all brands fit differently, so even if he gave me a prescription, it might not be the right one depending on the brand/type. Thanks

[Razor Ramon HG]

Just ask him for samples that would fit and look at the box details when you get home..

[DragonChi]

Yeah, or buy one box off him and use the info as the prescription.

[Mr.Money]

happened to me,paid 200 dollars to the asshole Optometrist and normal price doing it yourself is like $120 for the same brand at clearly contacts


greedy bastard.

[320icar]

That sounds like 100% bullshit

[twitchyzero]

it's better to get a fitting session
but he cannot withhold a Rx, personal medical documentation are YOUR's
let his front desk know you'll be contacting the regulatory body

[SSM_DC5]

A registrant must provide, free of charge, a legible written or electronic copy of the following to the named individual, whether or not requested by the named individual, and to another person specified by the named individual, if requested by the named individual:

(a) the prescription for a corrective eyeglass lens, if any, on completion of the eye health examination, and

(b) the contact lens record, on completion of the fitting.




Source: Optometrists Regulation

[!LittleDragon]

If you have extended medical, it doesn't really matter. I bought my first box from them and went online afterwards. Did the same thing when I wanted to try daily disposables for when I'm on vacation. Tried a few samples, bought a box from them and just bought online after. Cost me nothing other than my annual deductible.

[Rallydrv]

Has ur prescription changed?
If you already wear contacts, why do you need fitting again?

Also it's been over 2 years since I bought, but, clearly contacts has never asked for official prescription.

Usually it's.25 difference between glasses and contact as they sit directly on ur eyes . Dia will be same as before

Report him to college of optometrist. I see a lot of this bullshit, they send u for useless test etc or specialists in some cases as they get kickbacks

[FerrariEnzo]

Optometrist apparently now charge separately for eye glass and contact lens prescription.
so when you go in, you need to be specific what exam you want...

[canucksfan]

Originally Posted by SSM_DC5

A registrant must provide, free of charge, a legible written or electronic copy of the following to the named individual, whether or not requested by the named individual, and to another person specified by the named individual, if requested by the named individual:

(a) the prescription for a corrective eyeglass lens, if any, on completion of the eye health examination, and

(b) the contact lens record, on completion of the fitting.




Source: Optometrists Regulation

So in other words, they're not obligated to give you the contact lens prescription unless you get a fitting done with them. Very odd. What I don't understand is I can get a prescription for eye glasses and don't have to get glasses from them, but can't do the same for contacts. Wouldn't the same rationale for not providing the prescription apply? Sounds like I just have to buy one box from them, although I use monthly lenses, one box is like half of what I need so I have to buy overpriced lenses for half my year's supply....

[canucksfan]

Originally Posted by Rallydrv

Has ur prescription changed?
If you already wear contacts, why do you need fitting again?

Also it's been over 2 years since I bought, but, clearly contacts has never asked for official prescription.

Usually it's.25 difference between glasses and contact as they sit directly on ur eyes . Dia will be same as before

Report him to college of optometrist. I see a lot of this bullshit, they send u for useless test etc or specialists in some cases as they get kickbacks

It's changed slightly. I shouldn't have to settle for lenses that aren't 100% correct, especially after forking out $140 for an eye exam. I do have extended health and it's covered, but it's the principle.

[Hehe]

Go do it at Costco. They give you the full detail whether you buy it from them or not. Because technically, you wouldn't be buying from the optometrist anyway. So there's no conflict of interest.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Guess contacts are different glasses. Since I get glasses mostly I often get my prescription for glasses from my Optometrist .

Ages ago (like 10 years or so). I want to try contact and the Optometrist just gave me the prescription without forcing me to get it from them. Although he did warn me with my prescription is it like impossible to get contacts (really high prescription) and he was right lol.

[Traum]

I have some familiarity with the field, and IMO, the central question(s) hinges on what kind of eye exam you went for, and your level of experience in using contact lenses. Are you already an existing contact lens user? Or are you completely new to the contact lens world?

Any optometrist worth his degree and licence has an obligation to make sure that at least within the factors that he can control, the corrective lenses you obtain based on his prescriptions are going to be suitable for your vision. Part of this means the corrective lenses you use are not going to injury or cause any discomfort in any way.

If you are already a contact lens user, I'm 100% certain that your optometrist would be willing to provide you with both your regular glasses prescription as well as your contact lens prescription from his eye exam becuase he knows you already know what you are doing, and that you have a (generally) suitable model of contact lens that you already us, and that he would have quickly verified that your existing model of contact lens at least seems reasonable for your usage.

On the other hand, if you are a newbie to contact lenses, no sensible optometrist will give you your contact lens prescription without conducting contact lens fitting service for you. It isn't just a matter of the prescription. You have to realize that people have differently shaped corneas. Even if 2 persons have exactly the same contact lense prescription, the same model and prescription of contact lens may work well for one person, and be a complete disaster for the other. Different brands & models of contact lenses cater to people with differently shaped cornea -- at a minimum, curvature of your cornea plays a crucial role. And without test fitting, the optometrist has no way to know whether a particular model will work for your eyes or not. At worst, if an inappropriate contact lens is used, you can end up injurying / damaging your cornea, resulting in (potentially) irreversible vision loss. And then who do you think would be blamed / sued for the responsibility?

So if you aren't already a contact lense user, pay for the contact lens fitting service. It is for your own good as much as it is for the good of the optometrist's business.

But if you are already a contact lens user, and have indicated that to your optometrist (and told him what existing brand/model of contact lens you use), your optometrist should provide you with whatever prescriptions you ask for (regular and/or contact lens prescription). If he is still unwilling to do that, I'd take the matter up with the BC College of Optometrists.

[PeanutButter]

Report him to his college of optometrists. Google them. That's absolutely unacceptable practice

Edit. Even if they're allowed to do this. Report him anyway. Once he received a complaint, then we'll see how he acts

[twitchyzero]

ditto on Costco

the independent clinic charges a hair over one bill for basic exam...but everytime I bring up my issues with contacts they direct me to contact-fitting

so I already had 2 appointments for the fitting (I was switching to torics for astigmatism), free of charge

if Costco had a vet and dental clinic as well I would probably just live there

[FerrariEnzo]

You can buy contact lens without paying for fitting charge... if you buy the ones you normally wear know what strength you need.. contact lens power rating is different then eye prescription... but most people's vision doesnt change that much so stick with your old one and you should be fine..

Or just buy a box and ask for trial pair.. if you dont like it, return the box you bought.

[canucksfan]

Originally Posted by Traum

I have some familiarity with the field, and IMO, the central question(s) hinges on what kind of eye exam you went for, and your level of experience in using contact lenses. Are you already an existing contact lens user? Or are you completely new to the contact lens world?

Any optometrist worth his degree and licence has an obligation to make sure that at least within the factors that he can control, the corrective lenses you obtain based on his prescriptions are going to be suitable for your vision. Part of this means the corrective lenses you use are not going to injury or cause any discomfort in any way.

If you are already a contact lens user, I'm 100% certain that your optometrist would be willing to provide you with both your regular glasses prescription as well as your contact lens prescription from his eye exam becuase he knows you already know what you are doing, and that you have a (generally) suitable model of contact lens that you already us, and that he would have quickly verified that your existing model of contact lens at least seems reasonable for your usage.

On the other hand, if you are a newbie to contact lenses, no sensible optometrist will give you your contact lens prescription without conducting contact lens fitting service for you. It isn't just a matter of the prescription. You have to realize that people have differently shaped corneas. Even if 2 persons have exactly the same contact lense prescription, the same model and prescription of contact lens may work well for one person, and be a complete disaster for the other. Different brands & models of contact lenses cater to people with differently shaped cornea -- at a minimum, curvature of your cornea plays a crucial role. And without test fitting, the optometrist has no way to know whether a particular model will work for your eyes or not. At worst, if an inappropriate contact lens is used, you can end up injurying / damaging your cornea, resulting in (potentially) irreversible vision loss. And then who do you think would be blamed / sued for the responsibility?

So if you aren't already a contact lense user, pay for the contact lens fitting service. It is for your own good as much as it is for the good of the optometrist's business.

But if you are already a contact lens user, and have indicated that to your optometrist (and told him what existing brand/model of contact lens you use), your optometrist should provide you with whatever prescriptions you ask for (regular and/or contact lens prescription). If he is still unwilling to do that, I'd take the matter up with the BC College of Optometrists.

Thanks - I've been using contact lenses for over 10 years, and have been using the same brand. I told him this, but he kept giving me his spiel.

[SSM_DC5]

Where's the cheapest place to buy contacts online? Last time I bought, it came out cheaper to buy from my optometrist after using a mail in rebate. No rebates going on this time around and it's been a few years since.

[Nlkko]

Originally Posted by Traum

I have some familiarity with the field, and IMO, the central question(s) hinges on what kind of eye exam you went for, and your level of experience in using contact lenses. Are you already an existing contact lens user? Or are you completely new to the contact lens world?

Any optometrist worth his degree and licence has an obligation to make sure that at least within the factors that he can control, the corrective lenses you obtain based on his prescriptions are going to be suitable for your vision. Part of this means the corrective lenses you use are not going to injury or cause any discomfort in any way.

If you are already a contact lens user, I'm 100% certain that your optometrist would be willing to provide you with both your regular glasses prescription as well as your contact lens prescription from his eye exam becuase he knows you already know what you are doing, and that you have a (generally) suitable model of contact lens that you already us, and that he would have quickly verified that your existing model of contact lens at least seems reasonable for your usage.

On the other hand, if you are a newbie to contact lenses, no sensible optometrist will give you your contact lens prescription without conducting contact lens fitting service for you. It isn't just a matter of the prescription. You have to realize that people have differently shaped corneas. Even if 2 persons have exactly the same contact lense prescription, the same model and prescription of contact lens may work well for one person, and be a complete disaster for the other. Different brands & models of contact lenses cater to people with differently shaped cornea -- at a minimum, curvature of your cornea plays a crucial role. And without test fitting, the optometrist has no way to know whether a particular model will work for your eyes or not. At worst, if an inappropriate contact lens is used, you can end up injurying / damaging your cornea, resulting in (potentially) irreversible vision loss. And then who do you think would be blamed / sued for the responsibility?

So if you aren't already a contact lense user, pay for the contact lens fitting service. It is for your own good as much as it is for the good of the optometrist's business.

But if you are already a contact lens user, and have indicated that to your optometrist (and told him what existing brand/model of contact lens you use), your optometrist should provide you with whatever prescriptions you ask for (regular and/or contact lens prescription). If he is still unwilling to do that, I'd take the matter up with the BC College of Optometrists.

They will fit and the lense used to fit is included in the test and is yours to keep. I use Image, which is probably the most popular shop there is. Dude being asked to buy a box of lense from them is BS.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by canucksfan

Thanks - I've been using contact lenses for over 10 years, and have been using the same brand. I told him this, but he kept giving me his spiel.

Originally Posted by Traum

If you are already a contact lens user, I'm 100% certain that your optometrist would be willing to provide you with both your regular glasses prescription as well as your contact lens prescription from his eye exam becuase he knows you already know what you are doing, and that you have a (generally) suitable model of contact lens that you already us, and that he would have quickly verified that your existing model of contact lens at least seems reasonable for your usage.

But if you are already a contact lens user, and have indicated that to your optometrist (and told him what existing brand/model of contact lens you use), your optometrist should provide you with whatever prescriptions you ask for (regular and/or contact lens prescription). If he is still unwilling to do that, I'd take the matter up with the BC College of Optometrists.

Just briefly discussed this with my optometrist contact (pun intended), and it turned out I was 100% wrong in the above statements.

At the end of the day, it is all about liability though as I have mentioned. On any given prescription that an optometrist provides to his patient, he is profesionally liable for its accuracy. That much has always been clear. However, what I have overlooked in my previous post was, our eyes are two living and gradually changing organs. What has worked for you in the past may or may not continue to work the same way. (That is why we go get new prescriptions anyway!) And without spending time to medically examine your eyes and how the contact lenses interact with your eyes (even if you have already been wearing those contacts for a while), the optometrist cannot determine the suitiability. And if you have astigmatism, that'll further add some additional procedures to the evaluation. All of these are additional steps to your standard prescription eye exam.

Now, an optometrist can certainly choose to provide these additional services for free, and some do. Alternatively, some optometrists may already account for this service charge in their fee schedule, meaning that for anyone who do not require contact lenses, they are making a bigger profit on them. But in the OP's case, that is clearly not how his optometrist operates, and IMO, the OP can't really put the blame on the optometrist. It becomes a matter of prior to receiving the optometric services, what services has the OP been promised to perform? It could be a case of misunderstanding, with the OP expecting a prescriptions for both regular glasses and contact lenses, while the optometrist only promising to provide the regular glasses prescription and retaining the contact lens prescription as an additional service through a contact lens fitting procedure.

Given how this is supposed to be the standard practice for working optometrists, I don't think the OP will get very far should he choose to report the incident to the College of Optometrists. The College takes these kinds of allegations on their members very seriously, and they will conduct a thorough investigation to find out what has transpired. But given the situation at hand, I think the filing of a complain will only lead to a big waste of time for everyone involved. The College will determine that the optometrist in question has simply acted according to the standard practices endorsed by the College.

Originally Posted by SSM_DC5

Where's the cheapest place to buy contacts online? Last time I bought, it came out cheaper to buy from my optometrist after using a mail in rebate. No rebates going on this time around and it's been a few years since.

Pricing is volatile, and as you have mentioned, there is no consistently cheaper place to buy your contact lenses from.

[Rallydrv]

maybe also share his name, so we can all leave a shitty google review, (with same tag line) and avoid him

[acurael]

It depends what eye exam you had done.

A standard eye exam includes a refraction (which is a prescription for eyeglasses) and a eye health check.

Contact lens eye exam is different - this will include your eyeglass prescription, eye health check, contact lens fitting/update and extra health tesing.

The contact lens prescription is often different - the refraction (eyeglass prescription) needs to be converted in many cases to a contact lens prescription. Your contact lens prescription has to include base curve, type of lens, diameter etc.

Usually most places will charge two different fees for the exam. Its much more work to do a contact lens exam as the doctor has to check the fit and additional testing is needed. Often a contact lens follow-up is needed so that's a second appointment. At some offices the doctor does the fitting (which is always better) and other offices a contact lens fitter/optician does it.

If you have been wearing the same contacts for many years it doesn't mean it is still fitting your eye properly (even if it is comfortable). So additional testing has to be done and this means you have to pay more.

Why should you pay the same amount as a non-contact lens wearer? Obviously it was not explained properly to you.

Once you pay the extra fee for the contact lens fitting and update you should be given a contact lens prescription and you are free to purchase wherever you want. You will be given a sample of contacts to try, so at the end of the day any small fee for the contact lens exam is offset with a pair of free contacts or fee week supply of daily contacts. If you only pay for a regular non-contact lens exam then you shouldn't expect to get a contact lens prescription.

It comes down to chair time and extra work the optometrist/office has to do. In the end its in your best interest to have your contact lens fit and prescription verified every time you go for an exam if you wear contacts. Contact lenses are medical devices and improper fit can cause infection, inflammation and even blindness.

Hopefully that makes sense.

[acurael]

Originally Posted by Rallydrv

maybe also share his name, so we can all leave a shitty google review, (with same tag line) and avoid him

Thumbs down. You never went to this doctor. Obviously it was a miscommunication. The original poster can leave a bad review if he chooses but why would anyone else? This is the problem with online reviews. You have to hear both sides of the story and you only should leave a review if you actually had an interaction with the business. This doctor is not scamming anyone based on the original post. You pay for a service.

This doctor likely has a family and runs his own business and employs staff etc. Think about those things before you try to destroy someone's business and livelihood by posting "shitty" online reviews that you have never met or interacted with. People like you are actually the real problem.