The Danger of Refractive Optometry Part One

I previously wrote of my battle with epilepsy, its effect on my vision, and my passion to raise epilepsy/eyesight damage awareness (these passions are why 10% of all my sales go towards epilepsy awareness). 
 
Well, I had my yearly exam last week.  As was suspected, my sight has worsened (not as bad as feared), but it worsened nonetheless.  The biggest takeaway was an added .50 in my bifocal.
 
As the exam finished up, my doctor spoke of how he was saddened by how many doctors don’t help epileptic patients but instead, they refer them out in order to practice “refractive Optometry”. 
 
This is the term he used for practices that only focus on exams to produce frame sales.  They do this because comprehensive eye exams and frames produce more money than medical need based exams.  He also mentioned that some franchises pressure doctors and staff if they do see any sick eyes.
 
This conversation got me thinking. 
 
Truly, you will make more money with your chair time doing comprehensive exams and selling frames than you will do “sick eye” visits.  And I encourage practices to maximize their chair time, but there are two possible, and one definitive, problem with this singular approach.  Tune in next blog to hear those thoughts

Gordon Duncan is the CEO/Consultant of ProSight Success, offering advice, consultation, and development to the eye care profession.