What information is included in a prescription?

A prescription for both glasses and contact lenses must include:

  • the prescriber’s name, practice address, telephone number and signature,
  • your name,
  • the date of the eye exam,
  • the expiry date; and
  • Information that is used by a regulated professional to dispense eyeglasses, contact lenses or a subnormal vision device that will provide the required vision correction for the patient.

A prescription will also include the power of each lens based on your specific condition: nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), blurred vision (astigmatism), or age-related need for reading glasses (presbyopia) – and may include additional information, such as magnifying power.

Contact lens prescriptions may also include information about a specific brand, material, size, or curvature of the lens depending on what you find most comfortable or is best suited to your condition.