Opticians Recommendations

[Optometrist]

It's been 30 years since I worked in the industry, but I worked for an optometrist who gave a five-minute exam and a pair of bifocals for $49.99. Volume, volume, volume!

Five minutes would be just about enough time to take a history and symptoms. Nothing more.

 

[Optometrist]

Interesting. My optometrist gives a very thorough eye exam, including a glaucoma test and photographing the back of the eye (retina?). He does other tests, which I can’t describe, but I’m usually there for at least 45 minutes. He is, of course, an independent optometrist. When it comes to selling frames and lenses he is very low key and puts no pressure on his patients. My wife also sees him, but like me she was buying her glasses/specs elsewhere to get the “best” price, but it seemed thar every time she did there were problems, e.g. headaches, eyestrain, blurred vision, etc., so she now buys her specs from the optometrist and she Is completely satisfied.

Exactly what I said earlier, Bryan. Even the most accurate of prescriptions dispensed incorrectly will generally cause symptoms of the nature you described. It's even more profound these days with so many fixating on screens.

 

[Steve Bowles]

Five minutes would be just about enough time to take a history and symptoms. Nothing more.

The optometrists in question were brothers, and pretty much limited their practice to the Lakota Sioux tribe in Montana. They used to say they could look at a person and determine their prescription, i.e. how much money they had in their pocket.

 

[MntnMan62]

It's been 30 years since I worked in the industry, but I worked for an optometrist who gave a five-minute exam and a pair of bifocals for $49.99. Volume, volume, volume!

5 minutes doesn't qualify as an exam in my opinion. My wife is an optometrist and takes her time. Exams can go anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes and longer if necessary or there are other complications. She takes her job seriously and insists on doing what is right. She also leaves enough time for each patient so that she does not get backed up. She hates it when patients have to wait. She's also on the Board of the State Optometric Association.

 

[Steve Bowles]

I never meant to imply that I thought 5 minutes was enough for a thorough examination. I was trying to make the point that the optometrist I worked for was, shall we say, a bit shady, and focused on Native Americans for his practice. Again, Montana, 1990s.