Why does your optical prescription expire after two years?

Answer 1

== == Inarguably, eyeglass prescriptions expire to ensure patients get frequent eye exams, because frequent eye exams are good for the patient. Frequent exams are also good for the profitability of an optometric practice.

But not too many years ago,in the United States, many eyeglass prescriptions didn't HAVE an expiration date. Many dispensing optometrists did eye exams nearly at cost, instead garnering much of their profit by selling glasses and frames. But some optometrists would not give patients a copy of their prescription, and so forced patients to buy glasses from that same optometrist.

That was a problem which the Federal Government tried to remedy, first in 1978 through the Federal Trade Commission "Eyeglass Rule", and later in 1984 through the legislature's passage of the "Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act", implemented by the F.T.C. as "The Contact Lens Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 315) and the Eyeglass Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 456)."

These rules state that an eye doctor must give every patient a copy of their prescription, even if the patient doesn't ask for it!

That changed things. No longer could optometrists depend of the sale of glasses and contact lenses to be their profit center. They now needed charge more for eye exams, and needed to do a lot more eye exams. One way to do that was to have eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions expire, and to expire quickly. However, the F.T.C. stepped in again, and issued a rule that contact lens prescriptions must be valid for AT LEASE ONE YEAR. They also stipulated that if a State law required a longer period, that longer period would be the rule. So in California, for example, eyeglass prescriptions must be valid for AT LEAST TWO YEARS. This is one argument as to why optical prescriptions expire after one or two year. Another argument is presented below.

Depending on the doctor eye glass prescriptions will expire anytime with in a 2 year period of time. This is for a few reasons. The doctors not only check you eyes for sight problems but also medical problems and such. For patients with certain medical conditions eye exams are a very important part of their overall medical care. Although people may find that since their vision has not changed and there is no need for an eye exam there could be issues such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, certain types of pituitary tumors, optic nerve disorders that are picked up during routine eye exams. Most people will go for a physical every year even if they feel fine, so even though you feel you see fine your eyes still need their "physicals".