Optometry Podcast: Defocus Media Recap #1

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This week Darryl and Jenn break down the biggest stories in optometry, from the newest smartphone-based refractive technologies irresponsibly advertising the chance to skip a doctor’s visit to the ongoing saga of healthcare access at the VA.  A quick glance of tech journal headlines shows you how the general public views refractive tech: “This Phone-Powered Vision Test Can Replace Your Eye Doctor” reports engadget.com. The SVOne Enterprise app featured in the article advertises itself as a 5 minute vision test that will spit out a new glasses prescription for you in 24 hours. They report that they will not authorize prescriptions for those with eye disease without seeing an eye doctor, but how can they tell? The user has to answer that they have eye disease or a medical condition associated with eye disease in a pre-screening questionnaire.

The SVOne refractive app is far from the only exam replacement software making headlines this month. Did you know that the Simple Contacts app reports it checks ocular health by asking users to upload a video of their eye “to check for redness?” It’s their version of a health assessment, which leaves a lot to be concerned about for anyone who knows anything about ocular health. Check out the great article by Dr. Justin Bazan in Optometry Times last month.

Speaking of redness, what’s an eye doctor to do for swimmers in a green pool of algae at the Rio Olympics? The answer may surprise you by how not surprising it is.