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The US is such an absurd country. You can buy guns and a lot of serious drugs that are labelled as supplements freely, yet you need a prescription for lenses...

The US is such an absurd country. You can buy guns and a lot of serious drugs that are labelled as supplements freely, yet you need a prescription for lenses... Do you also need a prescription for glasses?

PhasmaFelis 9y ago
I mean, getting contacts/glasses without a prescription isn't going to do you much good. It's a little odd that it's mandatory, but I can't imagine any reason you'd want to do otherwise.
- scotty79 9y ago
  If your last glasses broke somehow you can get new ones just buy measuring old lenses and making new ones same.
- ythn 9y ago
  If you know your prescription you can order new glasses online without paying the optometry tax
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  I last got a prescription about 4 or 5 years ago, I haven't needed a new one since, my eyes haven't changed that much. In that time, I've also bought 4 or 5 pairs of glasses, I got Specsavers to print off my prescription, and just buy them online. It was interesting trying to get my prescription from Specsavers. By law, they are required to provide it if I ask for it, but they really didn't want to make it easy. They actually make a loss on eye tests ($30 for 20 minutes of an optometrist), because all their profit is in the glasses, so if I take my prescription elsewhere, I'm costing them money.
koolba 9y ago
Yes you need it for both contacts and glasses. The prescription must be current as well (past year). It’s truly a racket. If you break your glasses on day 366, you can’t get a new pair without paying the eye exam tax.
- lutorm 9y ago
  You need it for glasses except reading glasses.
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  Sounds like rent seeking from the optometry business. I haven't gotten a prescription for my eyeglasses in about 4 years, I get new glasses about once a year, and just buy the $50 cheapies from Clearly.
rogerbinns 9y ago
Yes you do need a prescription and it has to be dated in the last two years. Another fun one: you can get and consume 3 x 200mg ibuprofen tablets over the counter (Costco sell jars of 500 200mg tablets as a two pack so you get 1,000 pills at once!) However to get 600mg pills requires a prescription.
- jdmichal 9y ago
  That's all about liability. If they sell you 200mg tablets and tell you on the bottle to only take one, and you take three and have adverse effects, they have limited or eliminated their liability.
emmanuel_1234 9y ago
In France (and probably some other countries) you need a prescription in order to get the healthcare system to subsidize your glasses or lenses. You're free to buy them on your own, but you'll pay them. US is a funny place.

PhasmaFelis 9y ago

I mean, getting contacts/glasses without a prescription isn't going to do you much good. It's a little odd that it's mandatory, but I can't imagine any reason you'd want to do otherwise.

scotty79 9y ago
If your last glasses broke somehow you can get new ones just buy measuring old lenses and making new ones same.
ythn 9y ago
If you know your prescription you can order new glasses online without paying the optometry tax
toomanybeersies 9y ago
I last got a prescription about 4 or 5 years ago, I haven't needed a new one since, my eyes haven't changed that much. In that time, I've also bought 4 or 5 pairs of glasses, I got Specsavers to print off my prescription, and just buy them online. It was interesting trying to get my prescription from Specsavers. By law, they are required to provide it if I ask for it, but they really didn't want to make it easy. They actually make a loss on eye tests ($30 for 20 minutes of an optometrist), because all their profit is in the glasses, so if I take my prescription elsewhere, I'm costing them money.

koolba 9y ago

Yes you need it for both contacts and glasses. The prescription must be current as well (past year). It’s truly a racket. If you break your glasses on day 366, you can’t get a new pair without paying the eye exam tax.

lutorm 9y ago
You need it for glasses except reading glasses.
toomanybeersies 9y ago
Sounds like rent seeking from the optometry business. I haven't gotten a prescription for my eyeglasses in about 4 years, I get new glasses about once a year, and just buy the $50 cheapies from Clearly.

rogerbinns 9y ago

Yes you do need a prescription and it has to be dated in the last two years. Another fun one: you can get and consume 3 x 200mg ibuprofen tablets over the counter (Costco sell jars of 500 200mg tablets as a two pack so you get 1,000 pills at once!) However to get 600mg pills requires a prescription.

jdmichal 9y ago
That's all about liability. If they sell you 200mg tablets and tell you on the bottle to only take one, and you take three and have adverse effects, they have limited or eliminated their liability.

emmanuel_1234 9y ago

In France (and probably some other countries) you need a prescription in order to get the healthcare system to subsidize your glasses or lenses. You're free to buy them on your own, but you'll pay them. US is a funny place.