Question about Eyeglass Prescription

[pOTentialOT]

I had an eye exam appointment this past Tuesday. The OD said that my prescription would be emailed to me. A few days went by and I did not receive it. I called multiple times asking for the prescription, and they kept saying that it would be sent to me soon. They finally sent it to me only after I argued with them for hours. It took almost a week to get it.

This was my first time going to this doctor. One of the receptionists said, "the prescription needs to be finalized and sometimes it takes a long time." However, all the ODs prior to this always gave me my eyeglass prescription immediately after the appointment. I was reading some articles stating that it's illegal to not give a patient their prescription right away. Is this true? Was the doctor right, or was I just being impatient? Please let me know. I'm considering filing a report to the FTC about this practice.

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[UnicornOpt]

In the state of CA: ' Eyeglass prescriptions must be released immediately following the eye exam ." Just read your state's board of optometry laws to get your specific answer.

This OD doesn't sound like he/she's organized, and I find it strange. Also he/she would have to have an encrypted email secure messaging system since this is medical information.

 

[pOTentialOT]

In the state of CA: ' Eyeglass prescriptions must be released immediately following the eye exam ." Just read your state's board of optometry laws to get your specific answer.

This OD doesn't sound like he/she's organized, and I find it strange. Also he/she would have to have an encrypted email secure messaging system since this is medical information.

I live in New Jersey. This is what I found. Does this mean that the OD has to give you the prescription but it doesn’t have to be right away?

 

[Ryan_eyeball]

My advice is to contact the Optometry state board in New Jersey. A simple email or call from a state board will light a fire under the OD to release the Rx. Its a shame that it would have to come to that though.

 

[Laradd]

Is it really recommendable to change the grade of your lens (increase) once you bought a new glasses?

 

[UnicornOpt]

No it is not really recommendable to change the grade of your lens once you bought a new glasses. Trust me and you won't regret it. This is the first thing you learn in my school's brand of education, i think. Maybe you should ask your doctor.

 

[eyedoc2024]

This isn't uncommon. Often the doctor needs to review their charts after the patient has left meaning that not everything has been finalized yet. Also, keep in mind that the same doctor might not be in every day so they aren't seeing notes from staff until they are back. Generally, other doctors shouldn't sign off on another doc's Rx which is why it may have taken a while. If this is just a glasses Rx then it shouldn't take quite as long to finalize but for a contact Rx then sometimes we are waiting on the patient's opinion before an Rx for a certain brand is finalized to ensure the patient is happy and successful in their lenses since they are a medical device, not cosmetic.

 

[pOTentialOT]

This isn't uncommon. Often the doctor needs to review their charts after the patient has left meaning that not everything has been finalized yet. Also, keep in mind that the same doctor might not be in every day so they aren't seeing notes from staff until they are back. Generally, other doctors shouldn't sign off on another doc's Rx which is why it may have taken a while. If this is just a glasses Rx then it shouldn't take quite as long to finalize but for a contact Rx then sometimes we are waiting on the patient's opinion before an Rx for a certain brand is finalized to ensure the patient is happy and successful in their lenses since they are a medical device, not cosmetic.

That's understandable, but I know that office has only one doctor. The secretary kept saying it would be sent to me by the end of the day of my appointment. I didn't receive it until a week later after begging. I already reported them.