Eyeglass Prescription & PD Laws in Canada: A Province-by-Province Guide

In Canada, eye care is regulated provincially by colleges of optometry rather than a single federal body. Across all ten provinces, patients have a legally protected right to receive a copy of their spectacle prescription immediately following an eye exam.

However, whether your optometrist is required to include your Pupillary Distance (PD) on that prescription depends on provincial guidelines and regional health information access acts.

Here is what you need to know about your eyeglass prescription and PD rights in Canada. To review specific citations and official board links, check out the full Patient Rights & Prescription Laws Directory.

1. British Columbia: The Automatic PD Standard

Governing Board: College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC)

British Columbia is the most patient-friendly jurisdiction in Canada when it comes to pupillary distance access.

Under the CHCPBC Optometrists Bylaws § 5.2, optometrists in BC must measure and include the pupillary distance (PD) on all spectacle prescriptions at no additional charge. The regulation treats the PD as an integral part of the refractive examination process rather than a separate dispensing measurement. The cost of measuring the PD must be included in the standard eye examination fee.

2. Ontario & Alberta: Access via Health Record Laws

Governing Boards: College of Optometrists of Ontario and the Alberta College of Optometrists

Ontario and Alberta do not require the PD to be automatically written on the spectacle prescription itself. Instead, the colleges classify the PD as a dispensing measurement rather than a core clinical prescription parameter.

However, patients in both provinces have a legal right of access under health records laws:

• Ontario (ON): Under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) § 52 and College standards, if a PD has been measured and exists in the patient chart, it must be provided upon request. Optometrists are not required to measure it for free if it hasn't been measured, but if it is on file, they cannot withhold it.
• Alberta (AB): Under the Alberta Health Information Act (HIA) § 7, patients have a right of access to all clinical records in their chart. If a PD is recorded in your file (common during pre-testing), the practice must release it upon request.

3. Other Provinces: Standard Prescription Release

Includes: Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador

In the remaining provinces, the regulatory colleges enforce the immediate release of the spectacle prescription (which includes the sphere, cylinder, axis, and prism parameters) post-exam, at no extra cost.

However, these provinces do not mandate the measurement or release of PD. In jurisdictions like Quebec (under the Code de Déontologie des Optométristes) and Manitoba (under the Manitoba Optometry Act), the PD is classified strictly as a dispensing parameter. The patient must obtain the measurement from the dispensing optician or pay a standalone service fee if the optometrist offers PD measurement.

Summarizing Your Rights

1. Prescription Release: You are entitled to a copy of your prescription numbers immediately after your exam across all provinces.
2. PD on the Prescription: Automatically required on all prescriptions in British Columbia.
3. PD on Request (If Measured): Legally accessible under health records access acts in Ontario and Alberta.

For the exact codes, bylaws, and direct reference links for your province, check out the Patient Rights & Prescription Laws Directory.