I went for an eye exam because I needed my prescription. I bought a 500 dollar frame with very expensive lenses/coatings, then looked online and found the prices were much cheaper. I asked for my PD because I wanted to order a backup pair, and was told that they aren't allowed to give out the PD for "liability issues". I went to 3 or 4 different places, and even offered to pay for an eye exam even though I had just gotten one the week prior if they would give me my PD- none of them agreed and said they could only measure it and make glasses for me but couldn't give it to me outright.
Finally, I was able to talk a very nice lady at one of these places to do my PD, which she had to do quickly after the doctor went in with a patient and the other person working there went in back because she said it's really not allowed.
I understand that many of these places are terrified of online retailers who can charge much less, but if you are already spending money buying a pair of glasses from them, shouldn't they give you the PD? I found the prices online for the coatings I requested were significantly cheaper ($15 in total compared to $175 that I paid at the store), so I'm guessing a bulk of their profits come from being able to mark up their glasses/lenses.
Why are these doctors not giving out measurements of your body that they are taking anyway, and shouldn't this be illegal?
I should note that many years ago before online glasses were popular, I could easily get my PD on my script, which I used to send to Pakistan to get a second or third pair made for significantly less. Now that it is more common to order online, there are liability issues with giving this information? Wouldn't those same liability issues have been present back then, if I had say decided to go to another retailer to get glasses made and found the PD to be off?
>>> Why are eye doctors so reluctant to give you your PD?