Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/12/13/these-home-vision-tests-offer.html
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Do you have one for cancer? Also, I’m looking for a DIY brain surgery kit.
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I hate that these devices are sold dependent on a software-as-a-service model. You can’t get refraction tests in the long term without paying additional fees.
Now, if you’re going to charge a fee for a valid prescription, that’s one thing — if someone has to sign off due to health care bureaucracy, fine. But if I’m buying eye-test hardware, give me full access to the eye-test software so I can at least order some cheap glasses online from sites that don’t care about such red tape.
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That is definitely a dealbreaker. How do you know? The store page just says “PVT App (free)”. Which does not necessarily contradict you.
Everyone should get their eye pressure professionally checked. Glaucoma is painless but will rob your eyesight.
From the article:
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It affects more than 2.7 million individuals age 40 or older in the United States — approximately 1.9 percent of this population. Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness among blacks, after cataract, and the third-leading cause of blindness in whites, after age-related macular degeneration and cataract.
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I totally need that after buying yesterday’s million-watt tattoo-removal laser! Thank you Boing Boing!
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I’m not seeing the 46.99 for the Eyeque Insight - it shows as $59 and if I apply the coupon (merrysave15) it drops to $51, but not 46.99
Thanks.
It‘s a pity that mobile platforms put up so many barriers to free software, otherwise that kind of crappy business model would not stand much of a chance.
While I like the concept of home evaluation for eyesight for trivial matters, ophthalmologists are doctors for a reason. Throughout my twenties I was advised by professionals that I had higher ocular pressure than normal and it needed to be watched. If I had stopped going to eye doctors, I would most likely be blind by now, but the only reason I continued was because of LASIK.
I had LASIK performed by an excellent surgeon who also noticed that my pressure was higher than normal and required I come in regularly for checkups. In my mid-30’s pressure got out of control and he prescribed medication that had limited effect. He recognized when this was outside his ability to control and referred me to a glaucoma specialist.
Things escalated dramatically as I approached 40 under the care of a glaucoma specialist and I had to have surgery in both eyes to correct the increasing pressure. My surgeon wanted to do a relatively new procedure (been around for only 15 years) but my insurer (CIGNA) insisted I could do with an old, risky procedure (trabeculectomy) rather than newer, proven procedures they called “experimental”. There was a wealth of evidence saying I was a bad candidate for this old procedure and most other insurers approved of the new procedure, but my emergency appeals for the newer procedure were denied and as my eyesight started to reach critical degradation and I had accept the inferior procedure. I lost a quarter of my eyesight in the right eye after three surgeries due to very predictable complications of that old procedure. I switched insurers (UnitedHealthCare) and my left eye was saved with the newer procedures that they considered “acceptable” (same procedures CIGNA considered experimental). FUCK YOU CIGNA.
My point being, eye health is very important, and these at-home mechanisms are dangerous if they make people think the only reason you go to eye doctor is for corrective prescriptions. Also, get better insurance than CIGNA. They are cheap for a reason.
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I’m really sorry you lost some of your vision. And due to a shitty health care system, too. That really sucks.
But your story is a lot more powerful than me linking an article. Thanks for sharing.
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note - it’s not a prescription and to buy glasses with these numbers, you are limited to Zenni, GlassesUSA, and Eyebuydirect
Skin cancer, sure. The brain surgery one is a module for MBS or somesuch that can pick 30-100 nodes in your brain to jazz for 20 minutes or so to lose that salt rim before 2pm, or depressions, OCD give or take the cost of your going through the DSSM yourself…or urge to traffic your own employees that the luggage lady did to get to 500k valises sold in the fiscal year, don’t want that going 'round untreated.
Then see if they try to sell you LifeLock for it. [ducks] Yeah. Good limits.
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