If you wear contact lenses in the US, then by law, your doctor must give you a copy of your prescription as soon as your fitting is complete. You don't have to ask for it, you don't have to pay extra for it, and you don't have to buy your contact lenses from them. It's your right.
In May 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent 37 warning letters to eye doctors across the country reminding them of this exact rule, because some weren't following it. And the important news surrounding these letters: if your prescriber ignores the law, they can face civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
What This Means for Contact Lens Wearers
Next time you go for a contact lens exam, the rule is simple: once your fitting is complete (even if that includes a trial period with lenses), your prescriber must automatically hand you your prescription. They can give it to you on paper or digitally, but either way, you're entitled to walk out with it in hand.
That prescription lets you shop around. Whether you want to buy contact lenses from your doctor, an online retailer, or a big-box store, the choice is yours. The law is designed to keep the market competitive and prevent prescribers from locking patients into buying directly from them.
The Big No-No's for Prescribers
- Withhold your prescription until you ask for it
- Charge an extra fee to release it
- Make you sign a waiver before giving it to you
- Force you to buy contact lenses or glasses from them as a condition
- Delay giving you the prescription until after you've shopped their store
If they do any of these things, they're violating federal law and face $53,088 penalties per violation.
Why This Rule Exists
The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (2004) and the FTC's Contact Lens Rule were created to give consumers more freedom and pricing transparency. Before the rule, many patients felt pressured to buy contact lenses directly from their eye doctor, often at higher prices. Now, with automatic prescription release, you can compare deals and buy where it makes the most sense for you.
How Sellers and Prescribers Interact
If you don't hand over your prescription to a seller, the seller can contact your prescriber to verify it. Your doctor then has eight business hours to respond. If they don't, the seller can legally go ahead and fill your order. This is called passive verification.
The Bottom Line for Patients
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't get your prescription, or that you have to buy from them. It's your right to walk away with it, no questions asked, no fees attached. If your prescriber doesn't follow the rule, you can report them to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and they may face fines of up to to $53,088 per violation.
