Good Morning America Questions Online Eye Test

"Good Morning America delved into the online 'vision test' known as Opternative with a GMA Investigates segment, aired Aug. 5, that took the company's claims to task and confirmed AOA's concerns that such an inadequate service can pose a threat to patient health," reports  AOA (American Optometric Assn.) "'There's potential for missing things that can be very significant to your eye health and your systemic health.' What the GMA segment uncovered completely validates patient safety alarms, and drew a strong response from viewers who saw optometry on the side of the public, fighting for the highest quality eye care." Read more.

FTC Sues 1-800 Contacts for Restraint of Trade

"A leading proponent of the Coalition for Contact Lens Consumer Choice, 1-800 Contacts has been called to task over business practices found to undermine contact lens marketplace competition, antitrust regulators say." That's the post from the American Optometric Assn. (AOA). "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit against 1-800 Contacts on Aug. 8, alleging that the company unlawfully used its market power to orchestrate and maintain anti-consumer agreements with rival online contact lens retailers. These agreements not only suppress competition in online search advertisements, but also "restrict truthful and non-misleading internet advertising to consumers, resulting in some consumers paying higher retail prices for contact lenses," according to the FTC's administrative complaint." Read more.

Get Your Scrips and Glasses Online--Without an OD

Opternative founders Aaron Dallek and Steven Lee, OD.

"The eyeglass prescription process is the latest health care service to be disrupted — and now optometrists are waging an all-out war against a startup that lets people do vision tests without looking away from their laptops," goes the Buzz Feed posting. "Less than a year ago, Opternative, a Chicago startup, began serving customers through its website. In that time, optometrist lobbying groups have successfully backed legislation that bans the company’s ability to operate in five states, including Georgia as of yesterday. Last month, the American Optometric Association complained to the Food and Drug Administration that the company’s service should be taken off the market and studied because it is allegedly operating without federal approval. In the same breath, the group likened startups like Opternative to the 'corporate equivalents of snake oil salesmen.'" Read more.

Vision Monday reported a few days ago: "Organized optometry won the latest round in its fight against online refraction when lawmakers in the state of Georgia enacted legislation last week which makes it illegal to issue a contact lens or spectacle prescription without an in-person, comprehensive eye exam conducted by a state-licensed practitioner." Read more.

Nutrition Matters in Eye Health

"New research gives optometrists yet another reason to discuss nutrition—and its impact on eye health—with patients," reports the American Optometric Assn. (AOA). "A recent study found that participants with high adherence to dietary guidelines had a lowered risk of visual impairment. The study tracked participants' adherence to specific dietary guidelines and the occurrence of visual impairments over 10 years. Researchers analyzed data from 3,654 participants from the Blue Mountain Eye Study, who were examined at baseline, and reexamined after both five and 10 years." Read more.

AOA Disputes Study Predicting Shortage of Optometrists

"The AOA is taking issue with a new business research report asserting that there will be a shortage of optometrists over the next decade-a claim at odds with the National Eye Care Workforce Study released in June," according to a post on the American Optometric Assn. site. 'The bottom line is that optometrists continue to be well-positioned to meet the growing needs of Americans for medical eye care.' Published on Sept. 2, the report from the Conference Board...concluded 'among doctors, optometrists and podiatrists are the specialists most at risk of shortage, with the general physicians and surgeons category not far behind.' According to the Board's study, this is attributable to an overall increase in demand for health care providers due to an aging American population and an overall decrease in supply as practitioners retire." Read more.

New FDA Materials Warn about Dangers of Decorative Contact Lenses

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FDA brochure about the use of decorative contact lenses.

The FDA is launching a  campaign about the dangers of decorative contact lenses--more precisely the use of them without the fit of an OD or ophthalmologist. It's borrowing from the horror video genre that has inspired so many teenagers to slap on the color altering devices. The message also is backed by the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC). The three organizations produced and are distributing two public service videos designed to attract young people. The FDA has also released a brochure available at this link.

American Horror Story Helps Deliver Safety Message

The video, first screened at the recent AOA annual conference, uses clips from the television show American Horror Story, along with clips of professional makeup artists and optometrists. They note that before an actor or any individual can wear these lenses, he or she must have an eye exam, valid CL prescription, and lenses purchased from a reputable source.For more information about the program, click here.

Study Predicts Uptick in Patient Volume over the Next Decade

The supply of optometrists and ophthalmologists is adequate through 2025. So says the results of the National Eye Care Workforce Study recently posted on AOA.com, the home site of the American Optometric Assn. What's more, ODs responding to the survey reported that they could see an average of 19.8 additional patients per week if completely booked without adding hours to their practice schedule. The increase is likely considering the new U.S. health policies, the ageing of the U.S. population, and the increase in Type 2 diabetes.  The study was launched by the AOA and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Read more.

Hollywood Joins FDA Decorative CL Campaign

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), American Optometric Association (AOA) and the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) have teamed up with entertainment industry-leading artists from the TV series American Horror Story on a first-of-its-kind decorative contact lens campaign to bring the dramatic realities of illegal and unsafe lens use to the forefront. “Artists and technicians work closely with each other, the actors, and doctors to ensure proper fit, vision and safety. We wouldn’t put our actors’ health in danger, and the viewers who want to emulate these characters shouldn’t either,” said technician Christien Tinsley, Tinsley Studios and Makeup Effects Designer for American Horror Story. The campaign launches just in time for end-of-school-year celebrations, a time when students are more likely to purchase and use decorative contact lenses. The premier of the first public service announcement in the series was held April 22nd at the 18th Annual PRISM Awards in Los Angeles. Read more.

Call for Optometry Hall of Fame Nominations

Online nominations for the 2014 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted. The National Optometry Hall of Fame highlights the luminaries within the field of optometry—individuals who have made a significant and long-lasting impact on the profession. The 2014 online nomination forms can be accessed at www.aoa.org/HallofFame.

Cost Eye Care Costs Inched Up Last Year

Consumer costs related to eye care increased less than costs for any other health care service or related cost during 2012, reports the American Optometric Assn. (AOA). The Eyeglasses and Eye Care Services Index, compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), increased a mere 0.3 percent during 2012. That was well under last year’s overall inflation rate of 1.7 percent and a fraction of the 3.2 percent increase posted for health care costs overall during 2012, according to BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. AOA notes that virtually every year since the government first began tracking them, increases in patient charges related to eye care have trailed both the overall inflation rate and increases in charges related to most other health care services. Prices for eyewear and professional fees for eye care increased 0.7 percent in 2011. The overall inflation rate was 3 percent that year. Read more.

Affordable Care Act on Target for Eye Care

The Obama administration announced July 2 it was delaying the deadline until 2015 for penalties targeting large employers who do not provide health insurance coverage to their workers. Although this decision represents a significant change to the president’s timetable and approach toward implementation, the AOA Advocacy Group reports there has been no change in the law’s full recognition of optometrists as providers of essential care or in how eye health care will be integrated into comprehensive health insurance coverage for children beginning in 2014. Read more.

Book Offers a Tutorial about Children Visiting the Eye Doctor

The AOA reports that in his book No Pills No Shots, Vermont optometrist Solomon M. Gould, O.D., offers a parent/child tutorial about visiting the eye doctor. The book features recommendations from the AOA (American Optometric Association) and serves as an educational tool for parents and a comfort blanket for children prior to coming in for their eye exams. The book also includes a brochure for parents that walks them through the process of what to expect at their children’s eye doctor visits, what the doctor is looking for and the importance of the visit. Read more.

MDs and ODs Marking Territories in Washington

Within hours of hearing American Medical Association (AMA) leaders blame optometry and its allies for thwarting organized medicine’s best efforts to repeal the AOA-backed Harkin Law, an AMA committee called for an renewed effort aimed to repeal of the landmark AOA-backed measure (Public Health Service Act, Sec. 2706), which the AOA calls bars  anti-optometry discrimination by health plans. That's how the AOA see the meeting's results.  The AMA report can be found at http://newsfromaoa.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/i12-bot-report-08.pdf.

Call for Optometric Hall of Fame Nominations

Nominations for the 2013 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted. The National Optometry Hall of Fame highlights the luminaries within the field of optometry—individuals who have made a significant and long-lasting impact on the profession. The deadline for nominations is Dec. 31. Nomination forms for 2013 can be downloaded from www.aoa.org/HallofFame.

AOA Helps ODs after Super Storm Sandy

In the aftermath of the devastation from Hurricane Sandy along the East Coast, Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief, administered by Optometry Cares-the AOA Foundation, is ready to assist optometrists whose practices and/or homes were damaged. The AOA has received several reports from optometrists who sustained damage from the superstorm and expects the number to rise. Read more.

Costs for Part B E and M Services Rising Quickly

Medicare Part B costs for evaluation and management (E&M) services are rising more rapidly than other Part B costs, according to a report issued last month by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), according to a press release from the American Optometric Association (AOA). Read more.

Averting a 30% Cut in Medicare Reimbursements

The AOA (American Optometric Assn.) and other physician organizations are increasing pressure on Congress and the Obama administration to find a solution that will avert a nearly 30% cut in Medicare reimbursements set to take effect at the end of this year. Read more.