5 ms·

It isn't like prescription for medication, it's just the numbers that were measured. You don't need a doctor signature to get eyeglasses or contacts (although y

by rsrs 8y ago

It isn't like prescription for medication, it's just the numbers that were measured. You don't need a doctor signature to get eyeglasses or contacts (although your insurance company might want an optometrist confirmation that your eyesight isn't perfect).

joezydeco 8y ago
Contact lenses in the USA most certainly need a prescription, they can only be filled by a precise brand match, and it expires after a year. Any retailer on the web will need a confirmation from a doc or optometrist before filling.
- dpandya 8y ago
  +1
- yznovyak 8y ago
  Yeah ... about that. The US seems to be the only country which treats basic optometry like some kind of rocket science. Where did you guys get that idea that prescription should match so very precisely? Unless you have some rare condition +/- 0.25 dioptre doesn't make much difference. Glasses/contacts are the simplest optical instruments, not a Hubble telescope. Why do you need a specially trained person to dispense a box of contact lenses? If I want a 6-set of monthly -1.25 lenses -- just fucking sell them to me. What the hell do you need to verify with a doctor? I'm not buying a controlled substance or anything. Why did you guys make this transaction more complex than buying a roll of toilet paper? US seems to be the only developed country where I would have a hard time getting a trivial (but necessary) medical thing. Land of the free, my ass. Also, what's the deal with vision insurance? What are you insuring against? Sudden nearsightedness? I would guess that 99% of VSP members already have a trivially managed chronic condition. And once you get a laser correction there is no point in staying in VSP anymore. So VSP is not really an insurance, but rather some kind of medical union. In theory it should help patients by increasing their collective bargaining power. In practice they seem to be doing the opposite.
  - foobarian 8y ago
    There is probably some backwards legislation in place for all contact lenses, and for negative index eyeglass lenses. Source: by elimination based on the fact that every grocery store ever has a rack of positive index eyeglasses called "reading glasses" for long-sighted people who can't focus up close.
  - joezydeco 8y ago
    Where did you guys get that idea that prescription should match so very precisely? A lot of it stems from the fact that different brands and types of contact lenses - even ones with the same name - vary widely in terms of material, oxygen content/permeability, and actual physical dimensions of the lens (the two variables are called the "base curve" and "diameter"). The diopter is just one axis out of 5 or 6. A given lens in one patient will not always be comfortable or even stay adhered to another one's eyeball. This is why doctors do "fittings" where a trial version is placed and observed for a few minutes or a few days to look for side effects. Lenses actually need to move when you blink, the doctor looks for that as well. Lenses that don't move can deprive your cornea of moisture and oxygen and scar it. That said, once you're on a lens the matter of having it renewed is a simple function of your annual examination, which is something you should be doing when using contact lenses. If you're one of those people that make 2 week lenses last 6 months at a time and sleep in them, or you are buying them in gas stations, you're risking a lot. I sleep better knowing mine are FDA regulated and recalled if problems or contamination occurs. I'm not a ophthalmologist, but I've been wearing contacts for nearly 30 years and I respect the process. I'd rather wear 1-days for the rest of my life than undergo LASIK.
    - yznovyak 8y ago
      Adult human eye is surprisingly uniform in size. The vast majority of adults will be fine with contacts that have BC=8.5 +/- 0.1 and DIA=14.0 +/- 0.2. Many contact lenses are made in exactly one size combination only and everyone seems to be fine with that. > buying them in gas stations, you're risking a lot. How? That vending machine sells exactly the same Acuvue lenses that you can buy in US.
  - 8y ago
florabuzzword 8y ago
Good luck actually getting glasses or contacts in the US without a current prescription. I could never find somewhere that would even sell them to me. And it’s a nightmare because my eyes don’t change. I just want the same glasses but without the scratches. Getting them requires finding a doctor whose calculations will match. This usually requires finding the best doctor in town who will take the time to get the right results. Most of them rush.
- rootusrootus 8y ago
  I just bought a few pairs of glasses for my daughter from Zenni a few weeks back. I needed the numbers, but no proof that they came from any kind of doctor.
  - florabuzzword 8y ago
    Noted! Very cool. I never even thought of looking in other countries before reading this thread either.

by rsrs 8y ago

joezydeco 8y ago

Contact lenses in the USA most certainly need a prescription, they can only be filled by a precise brand match, and it expires after a year. Any retailer on the web will need a confirmation from a doc or optometrist before filling.

dpandya 8y ago
+1
yznovyak 8y ago
Yeah ... about that. The US seems to be the only country which treats basic optometry like some kind of rocket science. Where did you guys get that idea that prescription should match so very precisely? Unless you have some rare condition +/- 0.25 dioptre doesn't make much difference. Glasses/contacts are the simplest optical instruments, not a Hubble telescope. Why do you need a specially trained person to dispense a box of contact lenses? If I want a 6-set of monthly -1.25 lenses -- just fucking sell them to me. What the hell do you need to verify with a doctor? I'm not buying a controlled substance or anything. Why did you guys make this transaction more complex than buying a roll of toilet paper? US seems to be the only developed country where I would have a hard time getting a trivial (but necessary) medical thing. Land of the free, my ass. Also, what's the deal with vision insurance? What are you insuring against? Sudden nearsightedness? I would guess that 99% of VSP members already have a trivially managed chronic condition. And once you get a laser correction there is no point in staying in VSP anymore. So VSP is not really an insurance, but rather some kind of medical union. In theory it should help patients by increasing their collective bargaining power. In practice they seem to be doing the opposite.
- foobarian 8y ago
  There is probably some backwards legislation in place for all contact lenses, and for negative index eyeglass lenses. Source: by elimination based on the fact that every grocery store ever has a rack of positive index eyeglasses called "reading glasses" for long-sighted people who can't focus up close.
- joezydeco 8y ago
  Where did you guys get that idea that prescription should match so very precisely? A lot of it stems from the fact that different brands and types of contact lenses - even ones with the same name - vary widely in terms of material, oxygen content/permeability, and actual physical dimensions of the lens (the two variables are called the "base curve" and "diameter"). The diopter is just one axis out of 5 or 6. A given lens in one patient will not always be comfortable or even stay adhered to another one's eyeball. This is why doctors do "fittings" where a trial version is placed and observed for a few minutes or a few days to look for side effects. Lenses actually need to move when you blink, the doctor looks for that as well. Lenses that don't move can deprive your cornea of moisture and oxygen and scar it. That said, once you're on a lens the matter of having it renewed is a simple function of your annual examination, which is something you should be doing when using contact lenses. If you're one of those people that make 2 week lenses last 6 months at a time and sleep in them, or you are buying them in gas stations, you're risking a lot. I sleep better knowing mine are FDA regulated and recalled if problems or contamination occurs. I'm not a ophthalmologist, but I've been wearing contacts for nearly 30 years and I respect the process. I'd rather wear 1-days for the rest of my life than undergo LASIK.
  - yznovyak 8y ago
    Adult human eye is surprisingly uniform in size. The vast majority of adults will be fine with contacts that have BC=8.5 +/- 0.1 and DIA=14.0 +/- 0.2. Many contact lenses are made in exactly one size combination only and everyone seems to be fine with that. > buying them in gas stations, you're risking a lot. How? That vending machine sells exactly the same Acuvue lenses that you can buy in US.
- 8y ago

florabuzzword 8y ago

Good luck actually getting glasses or contacts in the US without a current prescription. I could never find somewhere that would even sell them to me. And it’s a nightmare because my eyes don’t change. I just want the same glasses but without the scratches. Getting them requires finding a doctor whose calculations will match. This usually requires finding the best doctor in town who will take the time to get the right results. Most of them rush.

rootusrootus 8y ago
I just bought a few pairs of glasses for my daughter from Zenni a few weeks back. I needed the numbers, but no proof that they came from any kind of doctor.
- florabuzzword 8y ago
  Noted! Very cool. I never even thought of looking in other countries before reading this thread either.