Blackburn, Michael D Dr

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DO NOT GO TO THIS DOCTOR!!



THEY ARE GREEDY AND/OR UNAWARE OF THE FEDERAL REGULATIONS.



I went to Dr. Blackburn for the first time a year ago for a contact lens prescription renewal and glasses. He was so nice and thorough that I took my son to him one month later.



My glasses were really pricey but I liked them. We also bought two boxes of contacts for my son and several boxes for me because they were only a bit more expensive than the online retailer and I like to support local businesses when I can.



BUT when I called to order more contacts for myself the office manager told me that she could not give me a box of 6 contacts because my prescription was due to expire in 5 weeks!!! I was floored.



She explained that she would be supplying me with a 3 month supply of contact lenses for a prescription that would expire in half that time.



No other doctor has done this in all my years of buying contacts. By that reasoning, I could get a prescription today, buy enough contacts for the year at the same visit, and my brand new prescription would be worthless because they would not sell me any more contacts. UNBELIEVABLE!!



She offered to give me a free pair to hold me until the next available exam four weeks away. I asked her to please send a copy of my prescription which she did. I turned right around and ordered a 9 month supply of contacts online for considerably cheaper and with no hassle.



I looked up the FTC and FDA regulations for contact lens prescription renewals and the regulation states:

- A contact lens prescription expires two years from the date of the exam.

- A doctor can choose to shorten the expiration date to one year, and all in Alabama do (for obvious reasons… $$).

- A doctor can shorten the expiration date of a prescription to less than one year, but there must be a medically sound reason for this, and it must be noted in the patient's file and the expiration date printed on the prescription.



There was no such medical limitation explained to me by the doctor or noted on my prescription, and the expiration date clearly printed was one year from the exam.



I can only assume that the rules of Dr. Blackburn’s office are created by greed or because they are ignorant of the regulations. Either way, I will NEVER GO BACK TO HIS OFFICE. What other regulations are they bending to feed their greed?



Moreover, I will post this anywhere I can find and repeat the story to anyone who will listen.