Online Eye Exams are available WOW

[jlee]

That's pretty neat but definitely does not replace the regular every 2 year eye exam that you should get at an optometrist, as they can check for stuff that might be happening with your eyes and treat it before it gets worse. There's more to it than knowing how well you can see from certain distances. I always thought it was odd that eye exams are every 2 years, eyes are important enough that it should be at least every 1 year imo.

Got LASIK a year ago, so glad I don't need glasses anymore, they were starting to drive me bonkers. Constantly having to clean them, getting reflections in them if there's light sources behind me etc...

My glasses prescriptions are good for two years, but contacts only for one. Less risk of complications with glasses, I assume.

 

[mikeford]

Family member experience, woke up one morning blind in one eye. We had an existing relationship with local Retina specialist, saw us that morning on his day off, operated on by one of the top guys in the world at UCLA that afternoon. Price of a Mercedes later, perfect vision, maybe half or so covered by sh!tty Obamacare that costs double the insurance we used to have that wouldn't have cost $100 total.

Had we just gone to a ER there would have been days of delay, Retina's don't like that.

 

[destrekor]

That's pretty neat but definitely does not replace the regular every 2 year eye exam that you should get at an optometrist, as they can check for stuff that might be happening with your eyes and treat it before it gets worse. There's more to it than knowing how well you can see from certain distances. I always thought it was odd that eye exams are every 2 years, eyes are important enough that it should be at least every 1 year imo.

Got LASIK a year ago, so glad I don't need glasses anymore, they were starting to drive me bonkers. Constantly having to clean them, getting reflections in them if there's light sources behind me etc...

I recently had an optometrist visit after years of neglecting this.

I got a new prescription for both contacts and glasses, they fitted me with, of all things, contacts that actually allow less oxygen to pass through but they do feel better. Doc said most places are just assuming more breathable silicone hydrogels are automatically better than the older hydrogels, but some eyes just react differently and she thought mine were one.

But I also finally decided to get a new pair of glasses.

I opted to get a premium Anti-Reflective coating.

It makes a world of a difference. I have never seen clearer through lenses than I do now. Outside, at the computer, anywhere... it's almost like a night and day difference, it's that clear now without halos or other reflective issues.

Haven't driven with them at night but I am almost excited to see how they perform.

 

[OverVolt]

This is a horrible idea.

Because of the lack of diagnostic testing. No dilated pupils, no retina checkup, no glaucoma testing. These things happen to lots of people.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I can't think of the last time I went to an eye doctor. (Or a dentist for that matter.) Over 6 years, probably closer to 8.

<shrug>

 

[twinrider1]

...I was able to take a eye exam from 10' away from my screen.

I'm not sure I'd be able to see my monitor from 10' away.

 

[QueBert]

I agree,

But in all honesty how often does this happen (disease of the eye) AND when it does happen you will know and go to a physical doctor.

Most people don't get annual eye exams enough to accurately detect disease of the eye. Eye doctors are probably on par with dentist. People only go for a very specific reason then never go again.

Depends, my best friend had some out of the blue vision blurriness a few months ago, after a day of it she went to the ER after work. Turns out she had advanced stage Glaucoma and the nerve damage was so sever she's lucky she can still see. She's going blind and will be blind probably within 5 years. She had no signs before the blurriness. She's only 41. There's nothing they can do for her outside of 4 twice daily eye drops and a surgery that may give her an extra year or 2 of vision, if she's lucky.

Getting regular eye exams is beyond important, she went literally the 2nd day where she noticed anything, and it was about a year to late. Glaucoma is very real and not uncommon. I know after this I'm going to start going to the eye doctor every year like clock work, it's scary shit what the body's capable of.

 

[steppinthrax]

Depends, my best friend had some out of the blue vision blurriness a few months ago, after a day of it she went to the ER after work. Turns out she had advanced stage Glaucoma and the nerve damage was so sever she's lucky she can still see. She's going blind and will be blind probably within 5 years. She had no signs before the blurriness. She's only 41. There's nothing they can do for her outside of 4 twice daily eye drops and a surgery that may give her an extra year or 2 of vision, if she's lucky.

Getting regular eye exams is beyond important, she went literally the 2nd day where she noticed anything, and it was about a year to late. Glaucoma is very real and not uncommon. I know after this I'm going to start going to the eye doctor every year like clock work, it's scary shit what the body's capable of.

But she went to the doctor the 2nd day you said.... So it would have made no difference.

 

[Brainonska511]

But she went to the doctor the 2nd day you said.... So it would have made no difference.

That's the whole point. If the person had regular eye checks with a doctor to check both vision and eye health instead of simply asking "can I see fine?", this problem may have been avoidable or more manageable. I foresee something like this online vision test giving people a false sense of security with regards to their eye health, since most people simply gauge their eyes by the quality of their vision, without much regard to the other, hidden parts that can blow up as creeping problems slowly develop unseen.

 

[dabuddha]

Depends, my best friend had some out of the blue vision blurriness a few months ago, after a day of it she went to the ER after work. Turns out she had advanced stage Glaucoma and the nerve damage was so sever she's lucky she can still see. She's going blind and will be blind probably within 5 years. She had no signs before the blurriness. She's only 41. There's nothing they can do for her outside of 4 twice daily eye drops and a surgery that may give her an extra year or 2 of vision, if she's lucky.

Getting regular eye exams is beyond important, she went literally the 2nd day where she noticed anything, and it was about a year to late. Glaucoma is very real and not uncommon. I know after this I'm going to start going to the eye doctor every year like clock work, it's scary shit what the body's capable of.

That's sad to hear :/ That's why I get my eyes checked twice a year with a retina specialist. I've got T1 diabetes and the thought of going blind horrifies me.

 

[steppinthrax]

That's the whole point. If the person had regular eye checks with a doctor to check both vision and eye health instead of simply asking "can I see fine?", this problem may have been avoidable or more manageable. I foresee something like this online vision test giving people a false sense of security with regards to their eye health, since most people simply gauge their eyes by the quality of their vision, without much regard to the other, hidden parts that can blow up as creeping problems slowly develop unseen.

But again no one does....

 

[DrPizza]

But she went to the doctor the 2nd day you said.... So it would have made no difference.

Yes, it would have made a difference! That's the entire point! By the time YOU realize something's wrong, it's too late. It was late stage glaucoma in this case. Glaucoma can very easily be detected and treated in early stages.


I'm confused how you can figure out what prescription is necessary based on some online eye chart. I mean, it's easy to diagnose, "hey, can you read this from 10 feet away?" "Nope." "Then you need glasses." But, how the hell can they accurately measure what prescription you need?

 

[destrekor]

But again no one does....

The point is that to not get regular vision screens is bad.

So if you are that type of person, then going some other route is, like you said, no worse.

But all of it is worse than actually getting regular checkups. Sure, if you decide to go every two years and one year you are great and the next visit an eye problem has already been happening for over a year, that's tough luck. That's also why some advise more than a once every two year schedule.

Point being: get regular checkups, don't wait, don't ignore the concept based on "I don't need a prescription" or "my sight hasn't changed since the last prescription." Those are bad moves, especially as you get older and the chance of complications increases.

 

[amdhunter]

Thinking about doing this. I am looking for contact lenses cheap online and need to renew my prescription. Local Lenscrafters and stores want more than $120 AFTER insurance.

I heard Walmart was good for an exam but can't find pricing.

 

[edro]

I'm in my 30s and have never been to an eye doctor.

I'm going to guess that every person in here crying about the importance of regular eye exams 1) has glasses or contacts themselves and 2) are drinking the koolaid.

 

[Brainonska511]

I'm in my 30s and have never been to an eye doctor.

I'm going to guess that every person in here crying about the importance of regular eye exams 1) has glasses or contacts themselves and 2) are drinking the koolaid.

Yeah... it's koolaid to care about the health of your eyes . Lots of diseases, like glaucoma develop asymptomatically. You won't know you have a problem until you lose vision, which at that point it will be quite bad. Regular checkups (once a year or once every two years) isn't a bad investment, especially when one has a family history of an eye disease (but there are also lots of cases of sporadic development).

 

[destrekor]

Thinking about doing this. I am looking for contact lenses cheap online and need to renew my prescription. Local Lenscrafters and stores want more than $120 AFTER insurance.

I heard Walmart was good for an exam but can't find pricing.

Once you have a prescription, go to opticontacts.com/lensdiscounters.com (same company). Most contacts will have the same minimum price everywhere due to manufacturer stipulations these days, but some may not.

If you are talking about Lenscrafters for a vision exam and they want that much, that is ridiculous. I'd stay away from Luxotica-owned stores any day for actual exams and purchasing. I did buy my new frames/lenses at glasses.com, which is Luxotica, these Oakley frames with RX lenses were cheaper than anywhere else by far, especially with a 20%-off coupon I found - and I guess they now offer free adjustments at Lenscrafters, I'll be checking that out tomorrow.

If you have vision insurance, you shouldn't have to pay a damn thing for a vision exam, even at those stores though. I always go to more standard optometrists, a standard doctors office style, not larger stores.

 

[destrekor]

I'm in my 30s and have never been to an eye doctor.

I'm going to guess that every person in here crying about the importance of regular eye exams 1) has glasses or contacts themselves and 2) are drinking the koolaid.

Sure, I have glasses/contacts. But even if you don't need an RX, you really should understand the value of your eyes. You only get one set - unlike organs or anything, there isn't exactly the option of transplants or anything without reaching into significant sums of money on experiments. lol

You take vision for granted until something happens, that's the norm for almost all of us. It never hurts to take a look into their health from time to time.

When we're young, we definitely take it all for granted and, almost always, we get away with it. Most eye diseases don't crop up until middle age and older.

It's the same for ear health. I wouldn't get regular hearing exams, no way. The Army makes me. And it turns out, there is something happening with my right ear. Some more intensive followup with a regular ENT, and the leading hypothesis at the moment is otosclerosis. Not a huge deal in that it can be treated with [relatively] simple surgery, but still... with time, I could get significant hearing loss when it could be easily corrected. I think it could always be corrected, so if I let it go I wouldn't be doomed, but still... it's better to get things corrected now so I don't struggle with comprehension.

 

[waffleironhead]

I'm in my 30s and have never been to an eye doctor.

I'm going to guess that every person in here crying about the importance of regular eye exams 1) has glasses or contacts themselves and 2) are drinking the koolaid.

Its mostly koolaid passed on by optometrists. Money grabs too. My opthamalagist recommend only coming in every 5 years until age 40. Then dropping down to 2-4 depending on health history.

 

[edro]

It's the same for ear health. I wouldn't get regular hearing exams, no way. The Army makes me. And it turns out, there is something happening with my right ear. Some more intensive followup with a regular ENT, and the leading hypothesis at the moment is otosclerosis. Not a huge deal in that it can be treated with [relatively] simple surgery, but still... with time, I could get significant hearing loss when it could be easily corrected.

I have that in both ears. Doctor recommends I use hearing aids for a while since they are non-invasive. If I don't like them, he will do the surgery.
I really don't like the idea of hearing aids.
Batteries, water, take in take out, damage, etc. Such a hassle.