When you decide wearing contact lenses, the first thing you have to do is to go for a check to an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. You don�t have to do this only for wearing contact lenses for eyesight correction, but for cosmetic lenses too. Contact lenses do not have the same size for everybody, they aren�t �one-size-fits-all�, and that�s why you need the ophthalmologist to tell you what size you need, so the lenses do not harm your eyes. A visit to an ophthalmologist must be done even when you just want to change the brand at your contact lenses and he must verify if the size are the same from brand to brand. If you had glasses before and now you want lenses, you shall not go to choose yourself a pair of contact lenses, because a prescription for glasses is different from one for lenses, and you won�t be able to choose the correct lenses for your eyes. For getting a prescription, you have to make an appointment to your doctor and ask him if he can give you a prescription for contact lenses and if the recommended brand is a national one that can be purchased anywhere. In general, the prescription has a specific brand, which cannot be substituted. What you have to do is to be careful at what prescribes your doctor, when it comes for the brand of lenses, because many of them try to impose to buy lenses from them.When your doctor prescribes you the prescription you must be careful to be for contact lenses and not for glasses and you must know that you won�t have to sign anything that your doctor gives you, any waiver. If the doctor tells you that the prescription process is not ready, because the fitting process is not complete, he might me right. This happens to the ones that have never weared contact lenses till then, or to those who change the brand of contact lenses. If none of these cases happens, then is not normal for your doctor to say that. You can receive your prescription through fax or phone, and a doctor can never refuse you this, for the reason that is not possible. By law, they are indebted to do it. For them it�s a reason to visit their stores, because you may buy the lenses from them. You have the possibility to get your prescription whenever you want, you do not have to pay any fees. It�s illegal for any doctor to ask to his patients this. After your lenses fitting process is done, your doctor must give you a copy of your prescription (you don�t have to ask for it, it�s their duty to do it), and he can�t ask for extra money to do that. It�s in the law, it�s your right to receive it. After the period of wearing contact lenses for test, you are able to buy your lenses and its boxes from wherever you want, not only from your doctor.