Receive Answers
Our Blog
Ask an optometrist
Contacts and Prescriptions for Children
Anna wrote:
Dr Langis Michaud's response:
Dear Anna
My first recommendation would be to purchase your products from your prescriber. Why? Because, it will save you from many problems in the future. For example, if you purchase your lenses from another retailer or through internet and, a given day, you develop an infection. Your eyes are red and you want to see someone to take care of that situation. Your optometrist will not be in the best place to help you because he will not know which lenses you have purchased, and more important, what professional recommendations were given to you at the time of the purchase. This is the important point. When you are buying your lenses from your optometrist you not only purchase contact lenses but also the expertise that comes with them, and the professional recommendations that has to be given to you. This is especially true if you are new to wearing contact lenses. These are MEDICAL DEVICES and should not be considered lightly. They can impact on your corneal health. They have to be fitted with careful attention. And your condition has to be followed up periodically to make sure that your corneal and eye health will be preserved.
For the script, if your doctor never fit you and never make a follow-up after an initial fit, he cannot establish a valid contact lens prescription- he has no clue if the lens tried is really working for you without any impact on your ocular health. From a general eye exam, no one can establish a contact lens prescription without doing a trial, and after an appropriate follow-up period of time.
Many provinces regulate the content of a script. For example, in Quebec, it is AGAINST THE LAW, for an optometrist, to provide details such as base curve, brands, diameters, etc. Opticians ask for this arguing that any of these, written as part of a script, impact on their professional freedom to select the best products for their patients. I agree with you that it is frustrating for the patient but the law was written with these limitations. I am not aware of such restrictions in other provinces but, please contact the College of Optometrists of your jurisdiction. They will tell you what is authorized, and what details your optometrist should provide you with.
Thanks for your interest,
Dr Langis Michaud, optométriste, M.Sc. FAAO (Dipl).
Professeur Agrégé
École d’optométrie de l’U de Montréal.
No comment