Online eye exam that writes you a prescription.

[Rathji]

Opternative’s test takes five to 10 minutes and costs around $35 — 75 percent less than in-person exams. With $1 million in funding, it plans to launch this summer.

“Doing eye testing day in and day out, I thought ‘there has to be a better way to do this’”, Dr Steven Lee tells me. The co-founder of Opternative graduated from optometry school in 2007 and has been practicing ever since. He realized that with advances in computers and phones, he could probably replace that clunky ‘What’s better? One or two’ machine.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/do-i-need-glasses/

Would you do it? Quite a bit of savings in time and money.

I imagine it won't diagnose complex conditions, but I can see it working if your eyes are pretty simple.

[btimbit]

Neat. Might give it a try to see if it's accurate. I buy all my glasses and contacts online now anyway, not having to go to a optometrist would be nice.

I'd still go for eye health reasons, but a lot less often.

[Azure]

How often do you need to go to actually get your eyes checked for health reasons?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Azure

How often do you need to go to actually get your eyes checked for health reasons?

Most say once a year but mine said until you're in your 30's you're fine with with every 2-3, unless you have a disease like diabetes or something that can increase eye related problems, or wear contacts a lot.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by fotze

I imagine the establishment is automatically very against this.........strictly for health reasons. Eye cancer may be mentioned.

Don't forget eye AIDS.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Most say once a year but mine said until you're in your 30's you're fine with with every 2-3, unless you have a disease like diabetes or something that can increase eye related problems, or wear contacts a lot.

Once a year? It's a wonder I'm not blind. I've never been to the optometrist. Is it reasonable to assume that since I can read my computer, and I can read road signs 100' away, and I can see the gross mustache on the woman behind the counter at the gas station, that I don't need an optometrist?

[Luder]

Originally Posted by pylon

Don't forget eye AIDS.

Yarrr

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by pylon

Don't forget eye AIDS.

I thought that was the point of the exam........

[Regular_John]

The UX designer in me questions if they are accounting for differences in user's displays. Are they accounting for colour calibrated/non-calibrated displays?
High pixel density displays (ex: retina) vs lower PPI monitors?
Heck even glossy VS matte coatings? Privacy screens/tinting?

I think the basic "get an eye exam in your own home!" idea is great, and ties in well with online contact/glasses retailers. I just know things like colour, contrast, and sharpness can all vary widly on consumer devices, enough so that the same person is likely to get different results, or in this case "prescription" on different machines.

Having said that I'd love to be able to skip the whole "make an appointment, miss half a day of work" involved in seeing an optomitrist these days.

[Street Pharmacist]

Might deserve it's own thread, but you can now see a family doctor on your phone for free here in BC. It's not widely used yet due to nobody knowing of it's existence, but this could be a real game changer for good or bad.

Step 1: Download App
Step 2: Enter BC Carecard number and medical problem
Setup 3: Coordinator calls and sets up appointment (usually the next few minutes)
Step 4: Doctor does "FaceTime" like appointment and faces Rx if needed to a pharmacy of your choice


https://medeo.ca/?gclid=CLTU8_yD6rwCFUaBfgod9GkA8g

[GP_Matt]

Waiting to see what Hesla has to say.

[FlamesAddiction]

What if your screen was fuzzy?

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Might deserve it's own thread, but you can now see a family doctor on your phone for free here in BC. It's not widely used yet due to nobody knowing of it's existence, but this could be a real game changer for good or bad.

Step 1: Download App
Step 2: Enter BC Carecard number and medical problem
Setup 3: Coordinator calls and sets up appointment (usually the next few minutes)
Step 4: Doctor does "FaceTime" like appointment and faces Rx if needed to a pharmacy of your choice


https://medeo.ca/?gclid=CLTU8_yD6rwCFUaBfgod9GkA8g

That would be awesome for follow up appointments and prescription refill appointments.

[Cheese]

woa cool...can hardly wait until they do laser treatment online too!
Wonder if theyd mail ya those neat eye clips?

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Might deserve it's own thread, but you can now see a family doctor on your phone for free here in BC. It's not widely used yet due to nobody knowing of it's existence, but this could be a real game changer for good or bad.

Step 1: Download App
Step 2: Enter BC Carecard number and medical problem
Setup 3: Coordinator calls and sets up appointment (usually the next few minutes)
Step 4: Doctor does "FaceTime" like appointment and faces Rx if needed to a pharmacy of your choice


https://medeo.ca/?gclid=CLTU8_yD6rwCFUaBfgod9GkA8g

Wow, thanks for letting me know about this company. Ideas like this is why I pursued an MPH, love hearing about startups like this.

[Knut]

I waited a few days to chime in as I wanted to do some digging around.

The technology is very much the same as our in-office Auto-refractors. They are effective on seniors and dilated pupils, but not much else. The problem lies with the fact it can not compensate for the fact you are focusing at near.

It is a big stretch to say it will make Eye examinations obsolete. The Technology will likely be bought out by a big chain and implemented in office.

As for buying your glasses and contacts online, the water just got a lot murkier. Clearly Contacts was just purchased by Essilor (who is owned by Luxottica). That means that Luxottica now control over 25% of the Canadian marketplace. It is likely a defensive measure to eliminate competition (or control the online marketplace).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/clea...445m-1.2553349

These are the Opticals owned by this one company now :
Coastal Contacts (clearly contacts).
Sunglass Hut International
LensCrafters
Pearle Vision
Pearle Opticians
Sears Optical
Target Optical
OPSM
ILORI
Bright Eyes
Budget Eyewear
Cole Vision Care
Optical Shop of Aspen
Surfeyes
Laubman & Pank
ICON
Grand Optics LLC



As for not going to an Optometrist.. i will just leave this link here showing the Prevalence of asymptomatic Eye disease.

http://www.optometrists.bc.ca/upload...ye_Disease.pdf

Basically 1/7 have an Asymptomatic eye disease of some type.

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Might deserve it's own thread, but you can now see a family doctor on your phone for free here in BC. It's not widely used yet due to nobody knowing of it's existence, but this could be a real game changer for good or bad.

Step 1: Download App
Step 2: Enter BC Carecard number and medical problem
Setup 3: Coordinator calls and sets up appointment (usually the next few minutes)
Step 4: Doctor does "FaceTime" like appointment and faces Rx if needed to a pharmacy of your choice


https://medeo.ca/?gclid=CLTU8_yD6rwCFUaBfgod9GkA8g

Now that is awesome, especially for a hypochondriac like myself.

Hrmm.. got a hang nail.. oh no, picking it made it worse..just let me google this quick--- ok according to google I either have cancer, AIDS, ms or herpes... or all of the above!!! QUICK TO THE DOC APP!

[Locke]