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First-The guy at Costco where I had been going for years moved away and was replaced by a corporate virtual exam place. I had never heard of this and the tech working there actually discouraged me (wink, wink) from using it. Are these virtual places the new norm? Can you get a decent exam there?
Second-because of the Costco thing I had to find a new optometrist so I went to this large practice (several MDs and many ODs). The exam was 95% done by the tech. I was used to the OD doing the refraction testing but the tech did it all and determined the prescription. I saw the OD for a few minutes for the physical eye exam only. Is it normal now for the tech to do almost all of the exam?
I see an MD ophthalmologist yearly, mainly due to dry macular degeneration. For the last 10 years, it has been routine that a "tech" does the majority of "eye chart" testing, the MD then does direct exam of eye using slit lamp , etc.
I see an MD ophthalmologist yearly, mainly due to dry macular degeneration. For the last 10 years, it has been routine that a "tech" does the majority of "eye chart" testing, the MD then does direct exam of eye using slit lamp , etc.
Same with me, I go about every six months and the tech does most of the exam, including refraction.
I see an MD ophthalmologist yearly, mainly due to dry macular degeneration. For the last 10 years, it has been routine that a "tech" does the majority of "eye chart" testing, the MD then does direct exam of eye using slit lamp , etc.
I've never had anyone other than the Optometrist do the full and complete eye exam on me or my kids, with the exception of the retinal photo/scan (which is done by the Tech). My husband usually sees an Ophthalmologist, and it's the same for him.
I'm surprised by all the people saying the Tech does so much of their exam.....but maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
Who conducts various parts of your visit could simply be dictated by how the practice is staffed. It's an administrative, not ophthalmologic decision. Consider: a small practice may only have one tech...so the optometrist shares the workload. My current one does this. I don't use prescription lenses, so have usually only needed health exams or a diagnostic check. The tech did some initial screening parts of the exam but the ophthalmologist took over for others and also provided the summation/any recommended treatment.
A larger practice with multiple techs could focus more on cost savings for customers. They can offer lower prices for general exams because tech hours cost less. It's also possible it depends on state licensing, company policy, or different levels of certification...maybe some states permit techs to conduct more parts of an exam than others.
Last edited by Parnassia; 07-10-2023 at 03:38 PM..
Where I go the techs do all the diagnostic stuff. More accurately, the machines and computers do it, the techs work the machines. They will ask me to read a few lines off a projected chart but my Rx is pretty much figured out before the optometrist sees me, but they quickly double check the work and take time to answer all my questions.
First-The guy at Costco where I had been going for years moved away and was replaced by a corporate virtual exam place. I had never heard of this and the tech working there actually discouraged me (wink, wink) from using it. Are these virtual places the new norm? Can you get a decent exam there?
Second-because of the Costco thing I had to find a new optometrist so I went to this large practice (several MDs and many ODs). The exam was 95% done by the tech. I was used to the OD doing the refraction testing but the tech did it all and determined the prescription. I saw the OD for a few minutes for the physical eye exam only. Is it normal now for the tech to do almost all of the exam?
I was in the biz for most of my life and I consider myself well versed in the field. It can be difficult to hire Optometrists to work in a "commercial" practice. The curriculum in Optometry School is very "professionally" oriented and working for a "commercial" practice is not the ultimate goal that graduates aspire to. Commercial practices pay more to compensate for this perceived lack of cache. This "corporate virtual exam" is the next step in the evolution of health care technology where a remote OD can do the exam, assisted by an on site tech. The truth is that Optometry students can incur a lot of debt from student loans and need to pay them off so taking a job with a "commercial" practice is a timely option. I had not heard about this virtual exam but it does not surprise me. My dad was an optometrist from the old school and he was really good and in a career spanning almost 4 decades he had almost no rechecks. Optometry is an excellent field for women as it affords the option of part time work to take care of children. As far as Techs doing a substantial portion of the exam, that trend started years ago with the advent of more automated diagnostic equipment such as the auto refractor, air puff inter-ocular pressure tester, retinal cameras, auto lensometers, auto keratometers and visual field testers. This freed up the Optometrist to spend more time with the patient whereas previously they would have had to do most of that testing themselves.
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What's a virtual exam?
