Posted by: Eye Centers of Florida in Community
Doctor Visits versus Online Eye Exams: How Do They Compare?
Patients who wear glasses or contacts must have their prescriptions renewed once a year, but recently some have turned to online eye exams: a risky alternative to visiting the eye doctor in person.
In an experiment to measure the accuracy of an online eye exam, NBC-2 had a local patient take the online exam. Dr. Eric Eiselman, one of our optometrists at Eye Centers of Florida, was featured in this news segment to stress the importance of in-person eye exams with a doctor.
The Danger of Online Eye Exams
Dr. Eiselman is quick to point out why he doesn’t recommend online eye exams in any case:
“I still can’t see how that’s accurate enough to give a prescription,” Dr. Eiselman remarks. Additionally, he notes certain conditions the online exam wouldn’t be able to catch: “Glaucoma, macular degeneration, even tumors in the eye—these are all things you cannot feel, and the sooner we catch it, the better chance we have of treating it.”
Online eye exams are intended for patients with no prior eye conditions, but that’s a problem: people don’t always know what’s going on with their eyes. After all, that’s the entire purpose of undergoing a comprehensive set of tests under the watchful eye of your OD.
There are early warning signs of various eye diseases that can go unnoticed if you don’t attend a routine eye exam with your optometrist in person, which the eye doctors at Eye Centers of Florida strongly recommend.
