We can’t buy glasses or contact lenses if our eye prescription is over 1-2 years old.
I can go to online eyeglass sellers and put in whatever prescription info I like. It’s just the actual prescription values, rather than some form approved my optometrist or something. Is this one of those things where it’s illegal but no one cares?
In Germany, if you want to buy glasses you go to a shop that sells glasses, and they actually to the measuring of what the correct prescription happens to be in the shop by a person who has not studied medicine.
It seems like the law in the US prevents shops that sell glasses from doing that. As a result, you don’t have market mechanisms that push the process of determining what glasses you need to zero in the US the same way it’s done in Germany.
Is it a legal requirement or something they’re just being weird about? Maybe it’s just about contact lenses and not eye glasses...that’s what a quick skim of that metafilter thread seems to indicate?
For what it’s worth, and as far as I can remember from my last eye glasses order a couple years ago, both eyebuydirect.com and zenioptical.com just have you put in the values from your prescription and don’t even ask you to pinky swear it’s a recent prescription.
Ah yes you’re right, it’s stricter for contacts. I was at least able to get to the purchase page on LensCrafters for a pair of glasses. (Just had to check a box where I promise the values are based on a recent prescription.) Thanks for pointing that out!
I can go to online eyeglass sellers and put in whatever prescription info I like. It’s just the actual prescription values, rather than some form approved my optometrist or something. Is this one of those things where it’s illegal but no one cares?
In Germany, if you want to buy glasses you go to a shop that sells glasses, and they actually to the measuring of what the correct prescription happens to be in the shop by a person who has not studied medicine.
It seems like the law in the US prevents shops that sell glasses from doing that. As a result, you don’t have market mechanisms that push the process of determining what glasses you need to zero in the US the same way it’s done in Germany.
US companies like LensCrafters, Warby Parker, and 1-800-contacts do care, which in my experience has been prohibitive in some situations. Eg see: https://www.1800contacts.com/connect/articles/buy-contact-lenses-online-without-prescription
And the discussion here: https://ask.metafilter.com/151294/Is-there-some-way-to-get-contact-lenses-when-your-prescription-is-expired
Is it a legal requirement or something they’re just being weird about? Maybe it’s just about contact lenses and not eye glasses...that’s what a quick skim of that metafilter thread seems to indicate?
For what it’s worth, and as far as I can remember from my last eye glasses order a couple years ago, both eyebuydirect.com and zenioptical.com just have you put in the values from your prescription and don’t even ask you to pinky swear it’s a recent prescription.
Ah yes you’re right, it’s stricter for contacts. I was at least able to get to the purchase page on LensCrafters for a pair of glasses. (Just had to check a box where I promise the values are based on a recent prescription.) Thanks for pointing that out!