You are free to fill your prescription anywhere
Federal rules require eye doctors to hand you your glasses prescription after a refractive eye exam, without an extra fee and without requiring you to buy glasses from them. That means you can take it to any optical shop you like, including ours. Most of the time, bringing an outside prescription is simple. A few details make it go faster.
What a valid glasses prescription contains
Michigan law (MCL 333.5557) spells out what a spectacle prescription must include. In plain terms:
- A statement that it is for spectacles (glasses), not contact lenses
- For each eye, as applicable: sphere, cylinder and axis, prism, and add power for multifocals
- Any special lens requirements the prescriber considers important, such as a design, material, tint or treatment
- The patient’s name
- The exam date and the date it was issued
- The prescriber’s name, address, phone number and signature
- An expiration date
A typed printout or a clear digital copy from the eye doctor’s office is fine. Handwritten notes, a screenshot of a partial chart, or a reading from your old glasses are not the same thing.
How long prescriptions last
Michigan requires a glasses prescription to carry an expiration date at least one year after the exam, unless the prescriber gives a medical reason for a shorter period. Many prescriptions are written for longer. Check the date on yours before you shop, because glasses can only be made from a prescription that is still valid.
A current prescription is also only as good as your eyes’ stability. If your vision has changed noticeably since the exam, or it has been a while, an updated exam may save you from new glasses that already feel off.
What is not on the prescription, and why
Pupillary distance (PD)
PD is the distance between the centers of your pupils. It is not a required part of a glasses prescription under the FTC Eyeglass Rule; the FTC considered requiring it and chose not to in its 2024 update. Michigan’s list of required contents does not include it either. During the rulemaking, prescribers described PD as part of dispensing, the work of making and fitting the glasses, and opticians routinely measure it at the fitting.
Fitting measurements in your chosen frame
Even with a PD in hand, the optician measures you in the frame you pick. The frame changes where the lens sits:
- Lens centers. The optical center of each lens should line up with your pupils in that frame. A different bridge or frame width moves it.
- Height. For progressives and bifocals, the height of your pupil in the frame decides where the reading zone starts. That number belongs to one frame on one face, and it cannot be carried over from an old pair.
- Tilt and distance. How far the lenses sit from your eyes and how much they tilt can matter for stronger prescriptions and some lens designs.
This is why a prescription alone is not enough to make well-fitting glasses, especially multifocals.
A contact lens prescription is a different document
A contact lens prescription cannot be used to make glasses, and a glasses prescription cannot be used to buy contacts. A contact lens sits on your eye, so the power can differ, especially for stronger prescriptions. A contact lens prescription also names a lens brand or type, base curve and diameter, which only come from a contact lens fitting.
Checklist before you bring it in
- It says it is for glasses (spectacles)
- Powers are listed for each eye
- It shows an add power if you want progressives or bifocals
- The prescriber’s name, contact details and signature are on it
- The expiration date has not passed
- You have your current glasses with you, so the optician can compare
If anything is missing or unclear, the optician may contact the prescriber’s office to confirm it before ordering lenses.
Next step
Read how we handle outside prescriptions, browse frames and collections, and bring your prescription and current glasses to your fitting. If your prescription has expired, book a comprehensive eye exam first.