This week, eye care history was made in Washington, D.C.

Have you ever had your eyes examined by a professional, then decided to purchase your glasses from another establishment? If so, it was necessary to provide your glasses prescription at your point of purchase. In the past, thousands of people have had difficulty getting the examining eye doctor to release it, because those doctors want the customers to buy frames and lenses from them instead.

But now, they can be punished for doing that.

The Federal Trade Commission has just instated the “Eyeglass Rule,” which stipulates that failure to present a prescription when a customer receives an eye exam can lead to a fine of up to $16,000 per violation.

In all fairness, regarding those eye care practitioners whose patients wish to purchase their exams and glasses in-house, it’s sometimes been nothing more than a mere oversight not to present the customer’s prescription to them. After all, everything is being taken care of in-house, and the paper prescription could have theoretically just been forgotten in the process.

But from now on, none of that matters. As a paying consumer, when you receive an eye exam, you must also be presented with your prescription at the time of purchase. If it doesn’t happen, feel free to just call up the FTC and tell them about it.

Find your next pair of show-stopping specs at Charlotte Jones Opticians.