The Real Value of an Eye Exam
Many eye problems present without symptoms or signs that might alert a patient that something is wrong. Many systemic disorders—some of them serious—have ocular findings without a patient being at all aware that anything is amiss.
I can easily recall times when a routine eye exam turned into a sight-saving or even life-saving intervention. Optometrists and ophthalmo…logists know that this isn’t an occasional occurrence; it is surprisingly common. For that reason, routine eye exams are often not routine.
Some of you may have heard that there is now an online eye exam concept being developed. When I first heard of it, I thought it was yet another harebrained scheme, but it turns out it’s well-funded with seed money from VCs who I would have thought would have known better. This online service is being promoted as a means to provide eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions without face-to-face doctor interaction. The importance of looking into someone’s eyes and talking to them before looking at their eyes is very important. The 2 main causes of blindness in the U.S. are diabetes and macular degeneration. These are detected with the eye health exam. Questions about family history and lifestyle are an important part of the equation. Thorough testing, counseling, and treatments are more successful the earlier they begin. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and many diseases can be detected with the eye health exam because the eye is the only place in the body where the blood vessels and nerves can be observed without cutting. Yes, eye disease is more common the older we get but it is often more severe and serious in younger people. The eye health exam is the most valuable part of the eye exam.
While I am all for incorporating technology into our lives current technology does not yet support comprehensive online eye examinations.
Many eye problems present without symptoms or signs that might alert a patient that something is wrong. Many systemic disorders—some of them serious—have ocular findings without a patient being at all aware that anything is amiss.
I can easily recall times when a routine eye exam turned into a sight-saving or even life-saving intervention. Optometrists and ophthalmo…logists know that this isn’t an occasional occurrence; it is surprisingly common. For that reason, routine eye exams are often not routine.
Some of you may have heard that there is now an online eye exam concept being developed. When I first heard of it, I thought it was yet another harebrained scheme, but it turns out it’s well-funded with seed money from VCs who I would have thought would have known better. This online service is being promoted as a means to provide eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions without face-to-face doctor interaction. The importance of looking into someone’s eyes and talking to them before looking at their eyes is very important. The 2 main causes of blindness in the U.S. are diabetes and macular degeneration. These are detected with the eye health exam. Questions about family history and lifestyle are an important part of the equation. Thorough testing, counseling, and treatments are more successful the earlier they begin. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and many diseases can be detected with the eye health exam because the eye is the only place in the body where the blood vessels and nerves can be observed without cutting. Yes, eye disease is more common the older we get but it is often more severe and serious in younger people. The eye health exam is the most valuable part of the eye exam.
While I am all for incorporating technology into our lives current technology does not yet support comprehensive online eye examinations.