3 ms·
FWIW, a checkup for me is 1 part refraction, one part retinal inspection, one part corneal inspection, and one part automated refraction/pressure checks. Only
by falcolas 5y ago
FWIW, a checkup for me is 1 part refraction, one part retinal inspection, one part corneal inspection, and one part automated refraction/pressure checks.
Only one of those parts can be done without a doctor or highly specialized equipment.
- dsizzle 5y agoRight, I was only talking about that 1 part. (Wasn't suggesting there's no use for optometrists!)
- falcolas 5y agoI guess I'm a bit confused then - if it's part and parcel of a regular checkup, what's the value of breaking the refraction out into a wholly separate activity?
- dsizzle 5y agoYour vision could change faster than however often you need your cornea examined or whatever. Or someone may not be able to afford a doctor's visit but know they need glasses (ignoring the question of whether it's right for people to not be able to afford an eye doctor's visit). Extending your logic to other areas would end up with absurdities like needing a doctor to measure your waist size before you can buy clothes. "You should visit your doctor regularly anyway, what's the value of allowing people to buy pants without a prescription?"
- falcolas 5y agoThe impact of an improper prescription - headaches, eyestrain, creating lazy eyes - are far worse than buying pants which are too big.
- dsizzle 5y agoYou're just as likely to get the wrong prescription with an optometrist -- they're relying on your self-report after all -- except it's harder to correct, because you need to go and make another doctor appointment to have it corrected (vs using the machine again). Also, if someone feels they would get better vision correction working with a trained professional, I'm fine with that. I only object to _requiring_ a doctor's prescription to get glasses.