Your prescription is already in the patient portal
You do not need to ask us for it. Log in to the patient portal and download it yourself.
Your glasses and contact lens prescriptions are both in there, along with your receipts, optical orders, and past visits. It is available any time, from your phone or your computer, whether or not the office is open. Your username is your email address.
That is genuinely the whole answer for most people — no phone call, no waiting on a reply, no trip in.
If you cannot get into the portal
There is one wrinkle worth knowing about: portal access has to be switched on for your account. If you have never used it, you may not get in on the first attempt.
- Never used the portal before? Call or text us and we will enable your access.
- Used our old portal? There is a one-time migration step that links your old records to the new login. The booking page walks through it with screenshots.
- Stuck for any other reason? Call or text and we will sort it out.
This is the backup, not the first step. Once your access is on, you can help yourself from then on.
Glasses and contact lens prescriptions are two different documents
This is the most common source of confusion, and it is worth being clear about: your glasses prescription and your contact lens prescription are not the same document. Having one does not mean you have the other.
A glasses prescription describes the lens power needed in front of your eye. A contact lens prescription describes a lens that sits directly on your eye, so it includes fitting details a glasses prescription does not — brand, base curve, diameter, and material.
Both are in the portal. Download the one you need, or both. If you are not sure which one you are looking at, understanding your eye prescription walks through what the numbers mean.
Your prescription belongs to you
In Ontario, your prescription belongs to you. You are free to fill it wherever you choose, whether that is with us or somewhere else, and we provide it without conditions. You do not need to explain why you want it.
Transferring your records to another clinic
If you just need your records to bring with you, download them from the patient portal — that is the fastest route and does not involve us at all.
If you need them sent directly to another provider, that one does need us. Message or call the office, tell us where they should go, and we will take care of it from our end.
If your prescription has expired
We can always give you a copy of an old prescription for your reference. What we cannot do is let an expired prescription be used to buy glasses or order contact lenses.
Prescriptions carry an expiry date for a reason — your eyes change, and a prescription that was right a couple of years ago may not be right now. If yours has lapsed, book an eye exam and we will confirm where your vision actually is.
For contact lenses specifically, a current prescription is required before we can place an order. See ordering contact lenses for how that works.
Related pages
Get your prescription now
Log in to the patient portal and download your prescription yourself -- any time, no waiting on the office. If you cannot get in, message us and we will help.
Prefer to talk first? Call or text us at 416-703-2797.
Spadina Optometry has cared for downtown Toronto patients since 2002 — an independent practice where the same team knows your eyes year after year.
Last reviewed: July 17, 2026