FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION • FTC.GOV 

7:45 am Registration

9:00 am 

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Samuel Levine

Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission

9:15 am 

Panel 1: Prescription Release

The FTC recently sent cease-and-desist letters to prescribers of eyeglasses and 

contact lenses based on consumer complaints that patients were not automatically 

given, or denied, or charged for their prescriptions. This panel will consider the need 

for the Eyeglass Rule’s prescription release requirement in today’s marketplace. 

Panelists will discuss the ongoing barriers consumers are facing and the roadblocks 

to effective compliance with the Rule.

Moderators:

Paul Spelman

Attorney, Division of Advertising Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection

Beth Freeborn

Economist, Consumer Protection Division, Bureau of Economics

Panelists:

Sara D. Brown, MPA

Director of Government Affairs, Prevent Blindness

Wallace W. Lovejoy

Chair, National Association of Retail Optical Companies

Dr. Jeffrey Michaels, OD

Co-owner, Family Vision Care

Felecia P. Neilly

Consumer of eyeglasses and contact lenses

Dr. Andrew Stivers, PhD

Associate Director, NERA Economic Consulting

10:15 am Break

10:30 am 

Presentation: Implementing the Contact Lens Rule 

Confirmation Requirement
A Clear Look at the Eyeglass Rule: An FTC Workshop

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION • FTC.GOV 

Dr. Stephen M. Montaquila, OD

President, West Bay Eye Associates

10:45 am

Panel 2: Examining the Confirmation Requirement and 

Lessons Learned from the Contact Lens Rule 

The proposed amendments to the Eyeglass Rule include a requirement that 

prescribers obtain a signed confirmation from patients when they provide a copy of 

the prescription. A similar requirement has been in effect for the Contact Lens Rule 

since 2020. Panelists will discuss how the confirmation of prescription release is 

working in practice: what methods are prescribers using to fulfill their obligations to 

obtain a signed confirmation and keep a record of it for three years; are there any 

options for easing the burden of this requirement; and what compliance issues have 

arisen?

Moderator:

Alysa Bernstein

Attorney, Division of Advertising Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection

Panelists:

Dr. Mahsa Masoudi, OD

Optometrist, Marietta Eye Clinic

Dr. Stephen M. Montaquila, OD

President, West Bay Eye Associates

Joseph B. Neville

Executive Director, National Association of Retail Optical Companies

Dr. Michael Repka, MD, MBA

Medical Director for Governmental Affairs, American Academy of Ophthalmology

Vice Chair for Clinical Practice, Wilmer Eye Institute and Professor of Ophthalmology, 

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Pete Sepp

President, National Taxpayers Union & NTU Foundation

11:45 am Break

12:00 pm

Panel 3: A Focus on Other Proposed Rule Changes

In addition to the proposed confirmation requirement, the FTC is considering three 

other amendments to the Rule: allowing prescribers, with a patient’s verifiable 

affirmative consent, to provide the patient with a digital copy of a prescription in lieu 

of a paper copy; clarifying that a patient’s proof of insurance coverage is considered

payment for the purpose of determining when a prescription must be provided; and 

changing the term “eye examination” to “refractive eye examination” throughout 

the rule. Panelists will discuss the likely effects these changes would have on patients 

and prescribers.

Moderator:

Sarah Botha

Attorney, Division of Advertising Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection
A Clear Look at the Eyeglass Rule: An FTC Workshop

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION • FTC.GOV 

Panelists:

Dr. Aarlan Aceto, OD

Board of Director and Chair, Legislative Committee, Opticians Association of America

President, National Federation of Opticianry Schools

Dr. Artis Beatty, OD

Chief Medical Officer, MyEyeDr.

Rebecca Hyder

Vice President of Governmental Affairs, American Academy of Ophthalmology

Wallace W. Lovejoy

Chair, National Association of Retail Optical Companies