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Thread: Has Optiboard Become a Self-Help Forum?

  1. #1
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    Has Optiboard Become a Self-Help Forum?

    Slightly controversial, but...

    Is Optiboard for optical folk to exchange ideas, gossip, moan, complain and ask advice from each other, or is it for the public to ask advice which invariably concludes with 'go and see an eye care professional'.

    I appreciate that the argument for helping people out is that of being helpful citizens, but don't we do that day in and day out?

    Perhaps there could be a special 'self-help' board. All that would need to be posted is:

    1. Don't get your eyecare or eyewear from a cheap-and-nasty multiple outlet; and

    2. Maybe that's it.

    Or am I being elitist?

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder Joann Raytar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Simmonds
    Is Optiboard for optical folk to exchange ideas ... or is it for the public to ask advice which invariably concludes with 'go and see an eye care professional'.

    I appreciate that the argument for helping people out is that of being helpful citizens, but don't we do that day in and day out?
    Actually, this isn't controversial at all since there have been a number of threads posted lately from people seeking medical advice.

    There is a big difference between the people we help day in and day out and people who seek advice for medical conditions online. When a person walks into one of our offices in person, we can see the patient, see the patient's health records or call for them and refer patients to the correct health care professionals for continuing treatment. We all want to be helpful but helping someone out isn't worth the risk of a patient not seeking necessary medical treatment or self treating a problem, masking it by fixing symptoms and making things worse.

    http://www.acponline.org/journals/ne...6/cybrquak.htm

    Although some of us know each other and most of us appear to be who we say we are, there is no way we can guaranty the credentials of every OptiBoarder who may respond to medical questions. In the event a request for medical advice is posted, the thread will always be closed and if certain replies go too far, they will be deleted.

  3. #3
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    When I see posting asking for medical help I cringe. This is not the place to be dispensing medical advice, even though some of us can. I'm not only an Optician, I'm also a Registered Nurse who will tell people to see a Doctor ASAP. The human eyes are too valuable to be messing with on the internet.

  4. #4
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    A more philisophical question...

    Why do you think people are more comfortable asking their questions in an internet forum (where we are for the most part anonymous), rather than ask their eyecare professional face-to-face?

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder chm2023's Avatar
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    I recently read somewhere the stats on the number of people who seek medical info on the internet--of course I can't remember the number but it was quite significant. All this to say that what OB sees is part of a larger movement. I imagine there is a body of info on this issue, evolving wisdom on how to handle.

  6. #6
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Lets not be too tough......................

    Quote Originally Posted by mlm

    Why do you think people are more comfortable asking their questions in an internet forum .....................................?
    Because when you, or a loved one gets into a health related situation and you have seen a professional.............but don't like the verdict, you tend to research every other means to find somebody who could come up with a different answer.

    Example: (myself) was handed a death sentence the after an operation. Operation successfull said the surgeon but you have cancer and the life expectancy is 5 to 8 month. WOW........ In a case like that you follow every treatment that is offered and recommended.

    But you also want to find out if there is another road out of the dilemma. You want to beat the system and every avenue is or could maybe be a way out.

    At the time I found a lot of ideas on the internet, which was a lot harder to work with than today 13 years later. Lots of help on the net in every direction.

    I did beat my death sentence, but will also understand others doing research for something that is bothering them. So let's not be too tough on these people looking for help.

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