Optometrists and opticians in BC should just stop bickering and band together to fight a common foe: internet optical vendors. Let's face it, both ODs and opticians in BC lost out big on this one. The only real winner is Coastal Contacts. I would argue that the consumer lost out in a big way, too, since the quality of eyecare in BC just went down the toilet. Sure, consumers might save money now by buying cheap glasses and contacts online, but they will pay for it later when they develop serious eye problems because they neglected getting their eyes examined by their optometrist on a regular basis, or because they stopped going to their optician for follow-up contact lens visits.
ODs: You've got to stop seeing opticians as the enemy. Yes, we've taken some of your business away with automated sight tests, but at least we still get to see the patient face-to-face and can determine through screening methods if a patient needs to see an OD or not. Some opticians are even pretty good at spotting things that even medical doctors may have missed. Witness this for example:
Girl, 9, saved by optician after doctors fail to spot plum-sized brain tumour SIX times
An internet provider like Coastal Contacts does not see the patient at all! How dangerous is that?
So why don't ODs and opticians in BC get together and fight this new legislation as vigorously as we can? Surely we can be far more effective if we work together. Yes, we will still have our differences, but at least we can BOTH agree that selling and dispensing eyeglasses without even seeing the patient is not a good thing. If ODs and opticians really care about people's eye health like they say they do, let's put our money where our mouth is and fight this new ruling with as much energy as we can, because in my opinion, we were both dealt a huge blow by this incredibly myopic new legislation.
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