Dangers of Online Eye Exams
Eye exam apps and why this Baton Rouge eye doctor is not yet a believer.
I understand that you want the convenience of having your eye exam done at home, on the sofa, in your favorite pajamas. Who wouldn't? I think one day, technology will probably be good enough. Today, however, is not that day. For a lot of people, the app can probably get close to your correct glasses prescription. But is close really good enough? It's not for me. And it's not good enough for the patients I see in my office. My patients expect me to get their prescription perfectly correct, and if I can't get it correct, they want to know why and how to fix it. No app can do that!
Also, at Focal Point Eye Care, the eye exam is not just about getting someone into glasses with which they are happy. We have discussions about lifestyle, about hobbies, and about vision demands. Most of the time, these conversations result in changes from the glasses prescription we just took time to figure out. Guess what? An app can't do that either.
The last reason you should still see a live optometrist: eye and overall health. You see, at Focal Point Eye Care, we don't just care about how you see in our office and for the next year. We care about how you see for a lifetime. We look for problems and diseases that can be addressed to ensure good vision for a long time. Do you think an app can do that?
I'm not naive enough to believe these apps won't get better and better. But maybe I am naive in thinking a human component will always be needed to sort through the information the app collects. What I do know now, is what the apps cannot do. Sometimes the best option is not the most convenient. I hope you will make an appointment today to see your local optometrist.







