The Truth About Online Eye Tests

Online Eye Tests Subvert Care

You have probably seen the ads on social media about getting your prescription renewed online for contact lenses or glasses. It might sound like a convenient and safe way to take control of your eye health, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The truth is nothing can take the place of your certified optometrist. Only your certified eye care provider can evaluate your eye health through a full comprehensive dilated eye exam.

What is an online eye exam?

A refraction determines the lens power you need to compensate for any refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism), as well as the curvature of the eye to prescribe glasses or contact lenses. Online eye tests attempt to replace one element of an eye examination, the refraction, in order to yield a prescription for glasses or contacts. It would be like taking a blood pressure reading at a kiosk and expecting a prescription; the reading does not provide sufficient information to determine a patient’s needed course of therapy.

The refraction performed by online eye tests is only one of many tests performed during an eye examination, and taken by itself, does not provide sufficient information regarding the treatment of a patient, including the prescription of glasses or contact lenses.

Are online eye exams accurate?

You could have glaucoma, cataracts or diabetes and only your eye doctor is going to check for that. In 2016, Optometrists identified diabetes-related manifestations in more than 320,000 patients who were unaware they even had diabetes, according to American Optometric Association (AOA) President Christopher J. Quinn, OD, in an AOA press release.

Don’t rely on an app for your eyeglass or contact lens prescription. Call us today at 423-239-5491 to schedule your full comprehensive eye exam and get the certified eye care and expertise you need to see your best.