Jene Thomas – Special to the Southern News
Technology is taking over the world, one eye at a time. Nowadays, you can do just about anything online. From shopping at your local department store to streaming the latest news stories from Syria, the world seems to be just a click away. Doctors have even made it so you can take an eye exam online now, for free. Oh science, what will you think of next?
Everyone is subject to the eye exam, whether it be in grade school or retirement. The test is pass/fail, you either get glasses or you don’t. According to a survey conducted by CBS, an approximate 61 percent of the population admitted to wearing glasses, contacts or needing some form of visual aid due to a failed eye exam. The doctors goes up to them, personally tells them they are visually impaired, and assists them in finding the appropriate solution, whether it is a prescription for glasses or even as extreme as providing the contact information for laser eye surgery. Now we extract the doctor from the scenario and replace it with a computer to do the exact same thing. Yeah, that will work.
Some may think so. When asked if they would take part in an online eye exams, the people’s answers split down the middle. Molly Cole, the director of Connecticut’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, who also works with the visually impaired, said, “Well, I’d really be interested in exploring how technology is advancing healthcare.” The interest is there for her, but when asked if she thought her 90-year-old mother would take part, it was a clear no, due to the fact that “adapting to that kind of technology at her age would be too difficult”. Perhaps it depends on the age of the person, that is until talking with college student Michael Deshaies. Deshaies holds nothing back when insisting, “You could just fake it. The doctor isn’t there examining your eyes so it doesn’t provide accurate results.”
The opinions vary but the same question is asked by each person…How does it work?
The fact that the eye exam is now online means that you just need a computer to test your vision. Simply google ‘online eye exam’ and multiple websites come up. Just to get a sense of what the exam is like, click the first website www.eyeexamonline.com. It brings you to a blue website that discusses the between the eye test and the eye exam, stating the two are one in the same. To the left will be comments from people who have participated in the eye test. To take the test, click on the green tab that says Free eye test, simple enough.
The first test is that pyramid of letters that should look familiar, with big bold letters at the top and continuing letters getting smaller and smaller. The test asks the participant to be one meter away from the screen, cover one eye and click on the lowest row of letters that is visible to them. The row of letters then pops up to show them even clearer to verify. Then click Eye exam 2 which then brings up a similar page, except this time it is with the right eye. Proceed with the same instructions as exam 1 and then click to Eye exam 3.
This is a little different. Again one meter away and cover the left eye but instead of the pyramid, a half circle of dark lines appears. The participant is then asked to choose which option best describes them: “some lines appear darker & clearer than others” or “the lines are equally dark”. Then do the same thing but cover the right eye.
The rest consists of similar exercises until a questionnaire appears, asking for name, email and if the participant wears glasses, wear contacts, is on any eye medication, etc…
One answer the exam gives is “Your symptoms and results suggest you should have a routine examination with a qualified optometrist.” Well isn’t that common knowledge. How does that actually help? To do all of those activities just to be told to go see an eye doctor seems a bit redundant. No wonder the exam is free. Just skip the middle man and get the eye exam from an ophthalmologist. Sure, there may be a cost but at least a more accurate and useful diagnosis will be provided.
