Contact lens prescriptions should come from a qualified eye care specialist. This is especially true with the contact lenses that are used either corrective or therapeutic. Stores would require a prescription before they sell a pair.

Here are the things that you have to look for in a prescription to determine its validity:

1. The patient's name should appear in it. This important detail would prove that the person who has the prescription has gone through the necessary procedures essential to determine the right pair of contacts he or she has to get.

2. The date of the examination. The examination date has to be current. This ensures that the prescription is freshly made and that the patient is recently examined. This is very important in therapeutic contact lenses.

3. The issue date and the date of expiration of the prescription. These two sets of dates are equally important as the examination date. This solely determines if the prescription is still usable.

4. The doctor's information. To further assure the manufacturers and the sellers of the prescription's validity, they can proceed to call the doctor who made the prescription. They can do that to clear out anything that maybe vague or questionable to them.

5. The lens's power. The contact lens's power corresponds to its sphere, cylinder, or axis, when applicable. This detail is essential to determine the right pair for the intended user.

6. The material or the manufacturer of the lens. Contact lenses can be made of different materials. Some are made of Plexiglass, while some use Hydrogel. Most of the time, the brand of the contact lenses is enough to determine what kind of material is used.

7. The base curve and the diameter of the contact lens. These are the specifics of the lenses one is to buy. Here goes the actual specification as prescribed by the attending eye physician. These are determined by the tests conducted to the patient.

8. The contact lens's manufacturer information. In case the doctor prescribed a private label contact lens, this information is needed. It would help the seller to verify the exact pair you have to get.

These are what compose a contact lens prescription. Each component is important, because it will lead you to the perfect pair. And more importantly, these are the requirement of the FTC. Contact lenses are still considered medical devices, even though if it is used for aesthetic purposes. That's why contact lens prescriptions, with all these information, are a requisite.