I can see clearly now: online eye exam sees backlash from eye doctors
Getting an eye exam can now be as easy as using your smartphone and a computer, thanks to a new website that checks your eyes without the need to visit a doctor in person.
Opernative offers the 30-minute test, and has users identify a series of shapes, lines and letters. It asks for your shoe size, to help you measure how far away to stand from your computer while you take the test.
The company doesn’t charge for the exam itself, only for a copy of the prescription required to get a pair of eyeglasses or contacts. An ophthalmologist reviews your test results and then issues the prescription — glasses or contacts for $40, or both for $60. About 65,000 people have used the service so far, according to the company.
“The eye exam has evolved,” the company’s site proclaims.
Not so fast, say some eye doctors.
The American Optometric Association filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration, requesting Opernative be removed from the market until its claims could be verified by the FDA. The group said the fact that the vision test has not been independently evaluated poses public health risks to patients because of the possibility of issuing inaccurate prescriptions and missed diagnoses of serious eye conditions.
“There are simply too many questions about the accuracy of this so-called eye exam. That’s why the AOA is alerting the public and urging federal and state officials to enforce their statutory and regulatory duties of patient safety and consumer protection safeguards,” AOA president Steven Loomis, O.D., said in a statement.
He recognized that Americans want new technology in the health care system, but argued that it must be incorporated into existing practices with real doctors.
Opernative operates in 34 states, but Indiana and Georgia have made the test illegal and Michigan sent the company a cease-and-desist order.
The site itself does carry a warning its services aren’t equal to those received in an actual exam room: “Opternative is not a replacement for a comprehensive eye health examination. Our licensed Ophthalmologists use Opternative’s on-line technology to evaluate a patient’s visual acuity and a portion of the ocular health profile, diagnose refractive error, and issue a prescription for corrective eyewear, where clinically appropriate.”
The company encourages patients to get a comprehensive eye health exam every two years, and won’t let people take the test more than four years in a row without confirming they’ve visited a real doctor.
This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "I can see clearly now: online eye exam sees backlash from eye doctors."