24Apr
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Self-Serve Eye Exams Coming Soon?

Now here’s an idea whose time has come: a walk-up kiosk which administers eye exams. No more appointments and no optometrists with bad breath leaning in your face asking “this one or this one”.

Instead, you merely step up to digital signage which administers tests using various visual stimuli for both near- and far-sightedness, then the thing issues a printout with your eye health and prescription recommendation (along with advice to visit local eye professionals for a more thorough exam, of course).

Posted by Chubby Mommy in Health News
  1. J. Otto Tennant says:
    April 24, 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Of course, with my eyes, that wouldn’t work. I need tri-focals, corrections for astigmastism, and prism corrections.

    And I don’t trust the MDs who do optical corrections. I prefer optometrists. (Of course, for my other optical problems, I do go to an MD.)

    But if all you need are opticals for near sightentest or for sightnentists, that may work. But if your vision is as lousy as mine has been for 50 years, something more is required.

  2. Chubby Mommy says:
    April 25, 2008 at 12:08 pm

    By “optical corrections” I take it you mean lasik and that kind of stuff? I’ve never had the guts to try such a thing — it’s my vision, and you can’t get that back (yet)!

    I felt kind of vindicated hearing the news last night that the FDA is going to look into that surgery a bit more closely. It’s about time.

  3. J. Otto Tennant says:
    April 25, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    Sorry. I mean corrections by eye-glasses. I doubt if my eyesight could be corrected by contact lenses, much less by laser surgery.

    And I agree that is about time someone looked into this sort of surgery. I think that it is useful for simple problems. But if you need tri-focals, astigmatic correction, and prism correction, it probably won’t work.

    My ex-wife needs glasses for presbyopteria (and, if she knew it meant “old eyes”, she would be furious. She might be helped by laser surgery, but you eyes keep getting older.)

  4. Chubby Mommy says:
    April 25, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    True. Those things are more complicated than, say, a standard test to determine if someone’s ready for reading lenses they can buy at Wal-Mart.

    And, yeah, from what you’ve told me about your ex-wife… she’d not only be pissed but would expect the gub’ment to pay for her lenses.

  5. J. Otto Tennant says:
    April 28, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    Well, she is now living in the UK, so the government there will pay for it. Fortunately, her coven has not yet invented a trans-atlantic broom.

    And if you want a reason to oppose the Democrats, just look at health care in the UK or in Canada. Health care there is rationed by long lines.