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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Alzheimer’s May One Day Be Predicted During Eye Exam

It would be very exciting if we could detect Alzheimer’s early before any symptoms with optical coherence tomography (OCT)! This is technology that we already have readily available in our office, as we use it to monitor other conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. It’s much less invasive than the tests they currently use for Alzheimer’s.

Of course, much more studies are needed before any true link is established, but it really wouldn’t surprise me because we can already see lots of general health conditions in the eye such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and more! Your eyes truly are the window into your brain 🤓#iloveeyes

Read more on Science Daily: Alzheimer’s May One Day Be Predicted During Eye Exam

 

Continue ReadingAlzheimer’s May One Day Be Predicted During Eye Exam

Eye Cancer Found On Routine Exam

People always think they would notice if something was wrong with their eyes, but that’s not always the case!

I had a patient last year, who had come in just because she felt like she needed stronger reading glasses. In fact, she almost cancelled her appointment because she was busy that day. Everything checked out: distance vison was great, and she did just need a boost for up close. Everything appeared normal up until the very last step of the exam. After dilation, I was able to see to the edges of her retina, and found a choroidal melanoma. Choroidal melanoma is the most common primary malignant eye tumor and the second most common type of primary malignant melanoma in the body. She was referred immediately and received radiation therapy. I saw her again this year, and so far she is doing well  

The first picture below is a straight on view of her retina. Everything looks normal. The second picture is what was visible when she looked to the side. The melanoma was way off on the edge of her retina, which is why she did not have any symptoms or notice any changes in her vision.

A “virtual” sight test would not have caught this. If she was issued a renewed prescription online without a comprehensive eye exam, this would not have been found. #VisionHealthMonth

eye cancer
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Diabetic Retinopathy Video

The back of your eyes is the only place we can actually SEE blood vessels without cutting open skin. Not only can your Doctor of Optometry see changes due to diabetic retinopathy, but also other general health conditions such as high blood pressure, and more!
The Ontario Association of Optometrists recommends a comprehensive eye exam every 1-2 years for healthy adults, even if you are not noticing any changes in your vision. Adults over age 60 should be seen yearly.
#VisionHealthMonth

 

Continue ReadingDiabetic Retinopathy Video