By Andy Pargh, The Gadget Guru
Many RVers, myself included, are using motorhomes, travel trailers or fifth wheel units to break the COVID-19 monotony while maintaining social distancing recommendations. In this day and age, it’s nice having your own bed to sleep in and your own bathroom to … well, you know what … without having to share these spaces with strangers.
For those of us who are taking social distancing seriously, there’s a good chance that you’ve postponed some routine, but non-urgent medical appointments. While I never thought I would utter the words “I miss going to the dentist,” I’m simply using my Waterpik® more often than I did in the past in order to keep plaque at bay.
What do you do when you need new eyeglasses?
But what happens when you need to update an eyeglass prescription but don’t want to visit an optometrist or ophthalmologist office? The answer is … there’s an app for that!
I recently tested the EyeQue® VisionCheck™ system and, I have to admit, it works. While it’s not a replacement for an eye examination by a medical professional, it is a solution for updating eyeglass numbers from the comfort of your home or RV.
This device works in tandem with a phone app that, through a series of on-screen vision exercises, allows you to generate the numbers needed to order eyeglasses online. I have found this product to be ideal for RVers as once you used the VisionCheck to generate the numbers, you can go online to sites such as EyeBuyDirect.com and order glasses. Based on my experience, their glasses were 75% less than what I paid for the most recent pair of glasses I purchased from a sticks-and-bricks optical retailer.
Also included is an ingenious PDCheck device. While these look like a pair of trendy eyeglass frames, they lack the lenses. They work in tandem with an app that allow you to use your phone’s camera to capture a selfie that measures the pupillary distance … a number that’s required for eyeglass ordering.
The VisionCheck is currently available from EyeQue.com and retails for $89. There’s no charge for the companion phone application. However, if a second person wants to use the VisionCheck, an additional $5 per person fee applies.
In this video, I interview Phoebe Yu, EyeQue’s director of marketing, and she provides additional details on the VisionCheck, PDCheck and the Smartphone Vision Screener products.
##RVT970
I think I’ll keep my $89 and pay my ins. copay and let the professionals write my prescription.
After two years of “Isolating in Place”, I finally went out and saw a local Ophthalmologist and then an Optician who fitted me for upgraded eyeglasses. The new glasses do well for distance BUT, with today”s micro-print, my new glasses fall short as GOOD readers. My need would be for better READERS, something apparently the EYEQUE device is NOT suitable for 🙁
More click bait.
If you want a prescription and eyeglasses that work, you go to the people that know how to do that. As they do this for a living, you have to pay them. Eye exam by using your phone! That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen! Eye health is not to be taken lightly. Most serious eye problems if caught early, can be treated successfully. .
No way would I substitute a visit to my optometrist with this. My optometrist diagnosed serious sight problem that would have lead to blindness if not corrected.
Optometrists and ophthalmologists do more than simply update the prescription on your glasses or contacts. They check the health of your eyes, cataracts, and other potential issues.
Which is why this is only for an occasional prescription update. Andy clearly states “While it’s not a replacement for an eye examination by a medical professional“. So, don’t badmouth a product who is only a stop-gap. You brush your teeth twice a day, but you still get your teeth cleaned by a dentist. You could go to a dentist every-few days, but you don’t. Brushing/flossing, etc, does not keep you from ever seeing a professional. This product is no different. You still should see a professional annually.
Paying a company to take your retinal scan and collecting that data? HA!
On the company legal page they say they do not provide prescriptions and state:
EyeQue strongly recommends people visit an eye care professional annually to receive a complete eye health exam.
So why do this?
Ve have Vays Comrade