The Eyeglass Rule, which is designed to facilitate consumer choice and promote competition in the market, currently requires physicians to provide patients with a copy of their prescription immediately after an appointment.
Prescribers cannot require the patient to buy glasses, pay an additional fee, or sign a waiver to receive the prescription. If the rule is amended, prescribers will have to keep a signed statement from patients on file for three years.
Another proposed amendment would also allow providers to provide a digital prescription instead of a paper prescription, with patient consent, according to a March 21 press release.
