Staying safe during a pandemic means having to weigh each and every trip out of the house, as well as assess whether any possible emergency is worth risking exposure. If you are in a position where you need a new pair of eyeglasses or extra pairs of contacts, but your prescription has expired, online eye exams are a possible stop-gap solution until it is safe to visit your eye doctor again.
First, the caveats
An online eye exam is not an acceptable substitute for regular eye exams. An online eye exam will not catch issues such as cataracts, glaucoma or retinal detachment. An online eye exam will never be as effective or thorough as having your eye doctor check your eyes, in person, at their office, using their specialized equipment.
However, in a time when any visit out of the house is fraught with danger, an online eye exam can work in a pinch, should you need a new pair of glasses.
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Some exams can issue prescriptions, others cannot
First of all, there are going to be online eye exams that check your vision but don’t offer a prescription, and then there are going to be eye exams that will issue a prescription. For the eye exams that don’t offer a prescription, this is a way to see if perhaps your vision has changed. If it has, then that might be a strong enough reason to schedule an appointment with your doctor.
If you need a prescription, you’ll have to live in one of the 37 states where you can get a prescription from an online eye exam, and you’ll need to pay, as an optometrist is required to certify the results. This is also a situation where most health insurance plans won’t pay, although you can always call and ask.
What can an online eye exam check?
An online eye exam can check how sharp your vision is, if you have astigmatism, if you are light sensitive, as well as if you are color-blind. For some eye exams, they will have you take a photo of your eyes, so that a doctor can check for redness.
Who is eligible for an online eye exam?
Online eye exams are suitable for healthy adults, usually between the ages of 18 to 39, who have no risks for eye diseases, and who already have a prescription which isn’t very strong. So if you are older, have complicating factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, or a familial risk for eye conditions such as glaucoma, or you have never needed an eyeglass prescription before, this test won’t be for you.
How does the exam work?
You will need either a computer or a smartphone, with enough space to sit back, in order to check distance vision. You’ll probably also need your eyeglasses or contacts, in order to check how well they correct your vision, as well as a copy of your current prescription.
How accurate is this test?
We are still finding out how accurate online eye exams are, and how they compare to in-office exams. A big issue is user error. If you get a result that seems surprising—for example, your eyeglasses work just fine, but the test is telling you that your vision has substantially worsened—that might be a sign of user error.
For that reason, it’s important to proceed with caution, and to remember this is only a stop-gap solution, an option that can help cut down on unnecessary trips out of the house, but should never be used in place of regular visits to your optometrist.
