Prescribers must provide prescriptions must be provided to patients.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued cease and desist letters to thirty-seven eyeglass prescribers, including ophthalmologist and optometrists, alerting them to possible violations of the agency’s Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule, which guarantee patients the right to comparison shop for prescription eyewear.
The rule requires all prescribers to give their patients a copy of their eyeglass prescription, along with a refraction, following an eye exam regardless if the patient requests it. Also, prescribers cannot place stipulations for releasing the patient’s prescription, such as mandating a purchase, adding a liability waiver on the prescription, forcing patients to sign a waiver, or requiring patients to pay for the copy.
The letters remind prescribers that “violations of the Eyeglass Rule may result in legal action, including civil penalties of up to $50,120 per violation.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Chair Lina Khan to seek God’s leading as she heads the FTC.
- For members of the commission as they work to protect U.S. consumers.
- For ophthalmologists and optometrists as they implement and comply with the new rule.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission
