# How much of Optometry is a racket? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291 "2011-12-06T20:08:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/1 "2011-12-06T20:08:42Z")
Seriously. I just needed some new lenses because mine were all scratched up. Now it having been over a year :rolleyes:, and being a new patient, :rolleyes: I can understand the need for an eye exam. After all, things might change, even though they have not for the last 5 years. $60.00 though? just for that? :rolleyes: Seriously though, what is with the need to to dialate my eyes to check for basic function? I drove in, I can obviously see fine since I jest needed some replacement lenses and my DL does not require me to wear them. I’m thirty one; I don’t have glaucoma or cataracts. I can’t find a single doctor around here that will just give me a basic exam and write me a script for some lenses. Nope, if you want new ones you got to do additional tests that mess up your vision for the rest of the day. THEN you have to take it somewhere else to be done, pay again for frames, again for lenses… Insurance? Nope, we don’t take that but here is a form for re-imbursement… All I have to say is: Thank Og for Zenni. I remembered we had ordered some glasses from them before and dug up my old script out of a two year old e-mail. 75.00 later I have four new pair on their way. No fuss, no exam, no dilating my eyes and screwing up my day off, and no paying through the nose. That was so easy. How do the offices stay open? Must be the best kept secret of the net. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/2 "2011-12-06T20:15:51Z")
Hey, I was diagnosed with cataracts when I was four. 🆒 Doesn’t hurt to get your eyes checked by a medical professional once a year. Same with going to the dentist. But if you just want new glasses, you certainly don’t need an exam. Just bring the existing prescription in, or order them online (that’s what I do.) Glasses aren’t drugs, the “prescription” is just a specification. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/3 "2011-12-06T20:31:02Z")
I regret getting my last pair of glasses. It came out to like $1000 (I got sunglasses too). If I would have saved I could have had a nice down payment for laser surgery. That’s what I’m doing now. These glasses should last me another year, and hopefully I can afford my surgery by then. I’m also going to tell them to laser my eye color to grey, so I look weird and evil. Hopefully I’ll just have to slip the doc a $50 for that. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/4 "2011-12-06T20:35:29Z")
Myopic people should also be checked yearly, if possible, to check for signs of a potential retinal detachment. You personally wouldn’t notice symptoms until the retina actually detaches, and then you’re in a “must act today or so to have a shot at preserving your eyesight” stage. Myopics are more prone to it due to the “stretched-out” shape of the eyeball. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/5 "2011-12-06T20:37:50Z")
I think I’ve told the story before of how my optometrist saved my life by diagnosing my diabetes and bullying me into going to the doctor on the very die I collapsed from insanely high blood sugar. So, no, I don’t think optometry is a racket. And even before I got my diagnosis, I always noticed a significant improvement in vision after the once-every-two-years checkup & new specs. Decreases in visual acuity happen very slowly and subtly; they’re easy to miss. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/6 "2011-12-06T20:43:48Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > But if you just want new glasses, you certainly don’t need an exam. Just bring the existing prescription in, or order them online (that’s what I do.) Some states (or insurance companies) require a relatively current prescription in order to make classes. You can’t use any old prescription. I \*think \*in MA where I am it must be within the past 2 years. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/7 "2011-12-06T20:46:47Z")
I like being able to see & am glad to pay my optometrist. She suspected I had the beginnings of macular degeneration & referred me to a retina specialist. (Yes, I’m a it older than you–but not all possible eye problems are age related.) Things are stable now but I’ll keep getting regular checkups. (And taking those special vitamins.) However, I don’t need to pay her (or the retina specialist) much; I got cleared for contacts, so I had to pay a bit over what insurance covers. At the retina place–just the copay. Why don’t you call around to see who takes your insurance? Or check with the insurance company… Also, I found a [good local place](http://smithsopticians.com/) to get glasses made. He carries vintage frames & leftover designer stuff at very good prices. A bit more expensive than Zenni but extremely quick–& it’s fun to try on frames! ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/8 "2011-12-06T20:46:48Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Some states (or insurance companies) require a relatively current prescription in order to make classes. You can’t use any old prescription. I \*think \*in MA where I am it must be within the past 2 years. 2 years for eyeglasses, 1 year for contact lenses. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/9 "2011-12-06T20:48:17Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Some states (or insurance companies) require a relatively current prescription in order to make classes. You can’t use any old prescription. I \*think \*in MA where I am it must be within the past 2 years. Yep. That is part of why I ended up just ordering online. Seriously though, what do people who do not have tons of ready money end up doing when they \*need \*new glasses? If I’d done it the usual way I’d be into my glasses for a few hundred for the first pair alone. That seems a bit…much, for something that is a necessity for a great many people. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/10 "2011-12-06T20:49:16Z")
It’s a racket. It’s not some evil conspiracy, it’s just a way of using public regulations to guarantee a profit for a select few. 90+ percent of optometry related work is measuring peoples eyesight using machines, writing prescriptions for lenses, and checking for cataracts or other problems, also using machines. These things can all be done by people with less training, who could refer anyone with abnormalities to a doctor. The regulations on lens make the hardware absurdly expensive also. These things are made by machine and should be available for a fraction of the price. Even the prices on frames are driven higher by insurance payments. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/11 "2011-12-06T20:51:41Z")
Wow, I feel lucky. When I took my son to get his eyes checked (he wears glasses) it was just a $30 copay and the glasses & frames (as long as he picked from one particular case of frames) were free and ready in about a week. I’ve never worn glasses so I didn’t know that was unusual. Sounds like from what I’m hearing here it could have been way, way worse. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/12 "2011-12-06T20:52:56Z")
I actually think 60 bucks doesn’t seem too bad for the exam. I mean, mine take longer than a normal doctor’s appointment and cost less, so I feel like I’m getting something for it, even if it does make me blind for the rest of the day. The price of the glasses is insane, though. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/13 "2011-12-06T20:53:54Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > However, I don’t need to pay her (or the retina specialist) much; I got cleared for contacts, so I had to pay a bit over what insurance covers. At the retina place–just the copay. Why don’t you call around to see who takes your insurance? Or check with the insurance company… Because I am a lazy, lazy man. I only need my specs for reading and computer work. Fine detail basically. The places that were cheaper don’t take insurance, and the ones that do are twice as much so I end up paying the same difference anyway after insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/14 "2011-12-06T20:54:36Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Wow, I feel lucky. When I took my son to get his eyes checked (he wears glasses) it was just a $30 copay and the glasses & frames (as long as he picked from one particular case of frames) were free and ready in about a week. I’ve never worn glasses so I didn’t know that was unusual. Sounds like from what I’m hearing here it could have been way, way worse. It sounds like you took the time to find a doctor who accepted your insurance & chose cheaper frames. They can be quite overpriced. A little bit of luck–but some smarts, too! ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/15 "2011-12-06T20:57:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s a racket. It’s not some evil conspiracy, it’s just a way of using public regulations to guarantee a profit for a select few. 90+ percent of optometry related work is measuring peoples eyesight using machines, writing prescriptions for lenses, and checking for cataracts or other problems, also using machines. These things can all be done by people with less training, who could refer anyone with abnormalities to a doctor. The regulations on lens make the hardware absurdly expensive also. These things are made by machine and should be available for a fraction of the price. Even the prices on frames are driven higher by insurance payments. You said this a lot better than I could have. It seems like the regulations were written to maximize profits and ensure repeat business rather than protect the public. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/16 "2011-12-06T20:58:19Z")
It did take a while to find a doctor who took our insurance, I’ll admit. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/17 "2011-12-06T21:01:21Z")
I dunno, $60 a year plus ~$200 every other year or so for something that allows me to function every single day is a no-brainer. Plus if I do my duty and go every year there’s a better chance I won’t go blind from disease. How much do you pay for shoes? Cable television? Mobile Internet? How much do you rely on your glasses versus all that other stuff? Frames and lenses can be a racket, yes. As is medical insurance and what they may and may not cover when it comes to optometry. But seeing - every day! - is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/18 "2011-12-06T22:00:53Z")
Insurance in general (assuming U.S.) is a racket anyway - this is just a special sub-set. - **purplehorseshoe** who can’t read the “E” on the top of the chart without her magical special lenses ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/19 "2011-12-06T22:20:42Z")
There are Dopers in the profession: **AquaPura** is an [optician](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=244369&highlight=optician). **Cromulent** is a [Doctor of Optometry](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=590662&highlight=optometry). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291/20 "2011-12-06T22:32:18Z")
As rackets go, this is a particularly ineffective one. Let’s take a careful look at it. You can’t get new lenses without a prescription. But you don’t (have to) get your lenses from the person who gives you the precription. So the person who examines you doesn’t make any money off the new lenses, and the person who sells you the new lenses doesn’t make any more money whether the prescription is old or new. Meanwhile, the people who sell the lenses keep coming up with new materials for lenses and frames that make them less likely to scratch or break. And the people who give the exams keep coming up with stuff like laser surgery which can make it possible to never need the lenses and frames anymore. As a plot by the medical industry, this seems very poorly conceived. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-optometry-is-a-racket/605291.md?page=2)