WAS CRAZY, TO WHICH THE GUY
RESPONSE" YOU THINK I'M CRAZY?
THE GOVERNMENT IS CRAZY.
IS IT A WAVE OF THE FUTURE
OR A PITFALL FOR PATIENTS.
AN EYE EXAM FROM THE COMFORT OF
YOUR HOME SEEMS LIKE THE
PERFECT SOLUTION FOR BUSY
PEOPLE.
THE INCREASINGLY POPULAR TEST
HAD MANY IN THE MEDICAL
COMMUNITY ROLLING THEIR EYES.
I SET OUT TO GET SOME CLARITY
ON THE CONTROVERSY.
AMERICANS NEED TO SEE.
75% OF US USE SOME KIND OF
CORRECTIVE LENSES, BUT GETTING
THE PERFECT PAIR OF SPECS CAN
BE TIME-CONSUMING, WHICH IS WHY
A NEW BREED OF VISION TEST IS
PROMISING QUICK RESULTS
STRAIGHT FROM, BELIEVE IT OR
NOT, YOUR COMPUTER.
WELCOME TO THE ALTERNATIVE
EYE EXAM.
Reporter: I PUT ONE OF THE
MOST POPULAR I ACCESS -- EYE
EXAMS TO THE TEST.
YOU START BY CALIBRATING YOUR
COMPUTER WITH A CREDIT CARD.
THE GUIDE STEPS YOU A MEASURED
DISTANCE FROM YOUR COMPUTER
SCREEN TO GET STARTED.
WITH YOUR GLASSES ON, JELLY
COVER YOUR LEFT EYE NOW.
Reporter: YOU SELECT THE --
YOU SELECT WHAT YOU SEE USING
YOUR PHONE AS A CONTROL.
AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES, YOU ARE
DONE.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR EXAM
IS COMPLETE.
Reporter: AND WITHIN 24
HOURS, YOU CAN GET A
PRESCRIPTION WRITTEN BY A
CERTIFIED OPHTHALMOLOGIST FOR
GLASSES, CONTACTS OR BOTH FOR
$60.
SEEMINGLY PRETTY CONVENIENT,
BUT THE NEW TECH HAS SOME EYE
DOCTORS SEEING RED.
YOU ARE GETTING NOTHING
ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR IF.
Reporter: A LAKELAND
OPTOMETRIST:
I AM GOING TO TAKE A LOOK.
Reporter: HE WARNS IT'S NO
SUBSTITUTE FOR AN IN PERSON
EXAM BY YOUR OWN EYE DOCTOR,
WHO WILL DILATE YOUR EYES AND
CHECK MORE THAN JUST YOUR
VISION.
YOU CAN SEE POTENTIAL BRAIN
TUMORS, PICK UP AUTOIMMUNE
DISEASES, PICK OF RETINAL HOLES
AND TEARS, HYPERTENSION ISSUES,
YOU CAN PICK UP SICKLE-CELL
ANEMIA.
I FELT VERY COMFORTABLE
DOING THE ONLINE EYE EXAM.
Reporter: DANIEL DIXON HAD
NO PROBLEM GETTING HER
PRESCRIPTION AFTER AN ONLINE
EYE EXAM.
SUPER EASY, LOVED IT.
Reporter: BUT SHE ADMITS IT
A NOT BE FOR EVERYONE.
I WOULD CHECK WITH YOUR EYE
DOCTOR IF YOU'RE HAVING MAJOR
CHANGES WITH YOUR EYES.
Reporter: IN THE FINE PRINT,
ALTERNATIVE AGREES IT'S ONLINE
EXAM IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A
SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL
MEDICAL ADVICE, BUT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE OPTOMETRIC
ASSOCIATION WHO SPOKE TO US BY
PHONE CALLS THAT WEB DISCLAIMER
RIDICULOUS.
THESE TESTS ARE DANGEROUS.
THEY ARE NOT AN EYE
EXAMINATION.
THEY ARE NOT EVEN FULLY CAPABLE
OF DETERMINING A PRESCRIPTION
OR ANALYSIS OF WHAT IS RIGHT
FOR A PATIENT.
Reporter: HER ORGANIZATION,
WHICH REPRESENTS 33,000
PRACTICING EYE DOCTORS
NATIONWIDE HAS ASKED THE FDA TO
INVESTIGATE ONLINE EYE EXAMS,
ENSURING PATIENTS ARE
ULTIMATELY PROTECTED.
I REACHED OUT TO THE FDA, AND A
SPOKESWOMAN TOLD ME ONLINE EYE
EXAMS ARE REGISTERED WITH THE
FDA, BUT THEY ARE NOT
REGULATED.
SHE WOULD NOT SAY WHETHER ANY
ONGOING INVESTIGATION MIGHT
CHANGE THAT STATUS OR TOUGHEN
THE SCRUTINY THESE EXAMS FACE.
I GOT MY PRESCRIPTION JUST
HOURS AFTER TAKING THE TEST.
THE GLASSES ARE IDENTICAL TO MY
EXISTING PRESCRIPTION.
THE CONTACTS WERE SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT.
BUT THAT IS KIND OF
IMPRESSIVE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
IT.
I AM ASSUMING IT'S EXACTLY THE
SAME.
$60 AND YOU GOT IT TAKEN CARE
OF.
BUT THEY REQUIRE THAT YOU
SEND THEM YOUR PREVIOUS
PRESCRIPTION, YOUR MOST RECENT
PRESCRIPTION EVEN IF IT IS
EXPIRED.
IT GOT ME WONDERING DO THEY
JUST DUPLICATE THAT AND TWEAK
IT SLIGHTLY TO CHARGE ME $60?
I GUESS, IT IS CONVENIENT.
I GO DOWN TO WALGREENS AND GET
ONE OF THESE THINGS.
PEOPLE ASK WHAT IS THE BIG
DEAL?
BUT THE EXPERTS SAY THEY DON'T
TEST FOR GLAUCOMA, CATARACTS.
THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE GETTING
TOO COMFORTABLE WITH THE
CONVENIENCE.
I REACHED OUT TO THE COMPANY TO
SEE WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
I REACHED OUT TO THEM MANY
TIMES BUT NEVER HEARD ANYTHING
BACK.
I WOULD SAY THE EYE DOCTOR
WOULD BE THE WAY TO GO.
I WOULDN'T TRADE IN MY EYE
DOCTOR.
I WOULD SAY THERE ARE SOME
THINGS YOU WANT TO SAY CAN WE
TWEAK THIS PRESCRIPTION A
LITTLE BIT LIKE THIS?
ESPECIALLY, WHEN YOU GET INTO A
REALM LIKE WE ARE, WHERE YOU
NEED GLASSES FOR FAR AWAY AND
CLOSE-UP.
BUT WE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT
LATER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WOULD YOU TAKE AN ONLINE EYE
EXAM?
WE ARE RUNNING POLLS RIGHT NOW