Read more about the article Optometrist Response to Atlantic’s Article on The Eye Exam “Scam”

Optometrist Response to Atlantic’s Article on The Eye Exam “Scam”

Your eye exam is not a scam. Glasses and contact lenses are medical devices.

When you notice a change in your vision, it can be caused by a host of other things. For example, I’ve seen…
– patients who were unaware that they had diabetes, but were diagnosed based on the appearance of the retina at the back of their eyes
– patients who didn’t know they had high blood pressure, but again were diagnosed after an eye exam
– a patient who thought she had dry eye, and was using drops suggested by the pharmacist, but it turned out to be an inflammatory eye condition linked with thyroid disease
– patients with retinal holes which required laser surgery to prevent retinal detachment
– 2 patients that came in for a routine exam, but ended up having an eye tumour 🙈

On the less “scary” side, I’ve seen plenty of people after they tried to order a higher powered contact lens themselves, thinking they needed something stronger, but they did it incorrectly and ended up giving themselves a headache. Or they ordered glasses online after modifying their glasses prescription a bit and couldn’t see out of the new ones. I’ve seen TONs of people with burning, itchy, red eyes who tried to self-medicate with over-the-counter antibiotic drops, which didn’t help. Do you really trust yourself to know what you need without going to the doctor? Your optometrist is not just a barrier to getting glasses… we’re here to help you take care of your eyes and catch preventable causes of vision loss! 👀 Eye exams might seem simple when everything is going well, but it takes years of training for me to rule out eye disease and other more sinister causes of a prescription change.

This author as simply upset because he was too unprepared to have spare glasses or contact lenses. If you use medication, it’s your own responsibility to have a supply wherever you go. It’s NOT a local doctor’s job to give it to you, sight unseen. Don’t be a statistic in preventable vision loss!

The main takeaway from this should be to make sure you always have a backup pair of glasses 🤓

Yascha Mounk – It is very irresponsible to encourage people to risk their eye health like this

 

(This is a response to the article The Great American Eye-Exam Scam  in the Atlantic )

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World Glaucoma Week

Glaucoma can cause vision loss without symptoms. You may not notice anything until advanced stages of the disease, and by then it’s too late. This is one of many reasons why it’s important to have regular eye exams even if you don’t wear glasses or you don’t need new glasses

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Read more about the article Glaucoma Awareness Month

Glaucoma Awareness Month

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in Canada. It is a group of eye diseases which lead to progressive degeneration of the optic nerve, which causes irreversible vision loss and potential blindness. There is no cure for glaucoma, but it can be controlled. Early detection is the key to preventing or slowing down vision loss. Make sure you are having annual comprehensive eye exams to check for changes in your eye health, because it can happen even if you think you “see fine” and you don’t need glasses! #GlaucomaAwarenessMonth
Call (905) 666-4848 to book an appointment

Learn more here:https://www.optom.on.ca/OAO/Patients/Library/Glaucoma.aspx

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Early detection and treatment of glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide and as many as 4.5 million people are blind because of it. This number will rise to 11.2 million by 2020.

“It’s one of those things that is very advanced by the time people have symptoms. That’s why it’s really important to have an eye exam with a doctor of optometry to ensure it’s being monitored or that it’s caught early and treated so you don’t have vision loss.” – Dr. Maggie Gibb

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Damage from glaucoma starts gradually and subtly, so that by the time you notice any changes in your vision, it is already advanced. The damage is mostly irreversible once it has occurred, so it’s important to detect it early and start treatment early to slow down progression.

If you are…
– over the age of 40
– have a family member with glaucoma
– are of African, Hispanic, or Asian heritage
– have high eye pressure
– have had an eye injury
– have corneas that are thin; or
– have diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, poor circulation, or other health problems affecting the whole body
…then you are more at risk of developing glaucoma. Come in for a comprehensive eye exam, and talk to Dr. Lee about your risk of getting glaucoma. She will let you know how often you need to come in for follow up exams.

Early detection and treatment can protect your vision. If you haven’t had an complete eye exam in the last 1-2 years, you need to schedule a complete eye disease assessment, even if you don’t need glasses or have any symptoms.

Call (905) 666-4848 to schedule an eye appointment today!

 

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