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Comment by adzm | Hacker News Reader

Not to mention the pupillary distance is not commonly included on optical prescriptions which creates a significant hurdle, even though it can be measured yourself or usually given when asked.

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I've asked for my pupillary distance in the past and got a talking to about how evil online ordering is and how it'll ruin my eyes before they would give it to me.

All BS, and when I asked if they'd fill a prescription for lenses for my VR unit instead of ordering them online, they stared at me like I had grown a third arm.

Mine gave me the number without question. Mind you, by this time, I had spent about 2 hours at the store trying on different frames and asking for frames that were on their website only to be told something like "we have those at the other branch, not this one".

My understanding is that they are legally required to give it to you, at least in some places.

Correct! By law, they're required to give it to you. If they refuse, just use an app on your smartphone. (eyemeasure is the one i used)

In the US anyway, they're legally required to give you your prescription (SPH, CYL, prism, etc). However, PD and other ocular measurements aren't classified as part of a prescription.

Zenni will send you a cool little cardboard ruler that sits on the bridge of your nose to measure PD. It suffices (I am wearing my Zenni frames as I write this).

I hate hate hate EssilorLuxxotica.

My ophthalmologist claimed he didn’t have the equipment to add PD to his prescription. Bald-faced liar.

BTW, the app is called PD Measure.

Ophthalmologist or optometrist? Very different, and I think the difference needs to be overstated more and more.

I got it wrong the first time. He’s an MD ophthalmologist.

Unless there's need for specialized medical or surgical treatment, getting eye exams and eyeglass prescriptions from an ophthalmologist as opposed to a optometrist is like getting your teeth cleaned by an oral surgeon rather than a dentist. Astigmatism and/or myopia, refractive errors, corneal disease, amblyopia? Optometrist. Ptosis, proptosis, endophthalmitis, macular degeneration, excess tearing, detached retina or trauma? Ophthalmologist.

Fuck dude. I think I got macular degeneration just reading that! ;)

At the same time I agree with parent that this persons ophthalmologist was a liar and should honestly be reported for that kind of shady behavior.

EDIT: also re corneal disease unless the treatment is a contact lens go to an ophthalmologist for that one too

To be fair, I had a dentist who was technically an oral surgeon but would sometimes even bump the hygienist and do the cleanings himself; because they were easy and he was bored. Same cost to me so I didn't mind.

I've been seeing the same ophthalmologist for years, but last time, they told me I needed to get the COVID booster for next visit. So there was no next visit. I have other doctors and a dentist, and none of them push that.

He's also absolutely dogmatic and dismissive about how LASIK is safe (although he didn't push it for me).

He did give me my PD, though.

Pretty messed up they wouldn't let you endanger them at their own workplace

It’s clear at this point that vax/boosts don’t keep you from contracting or passing on the virus.

What matters to others is you showing up at the dentist exhibiting symptoms.

They reduce the chance, however. Imperfect protection is better than nothing.

... and yet no other doctor has that policy, or even a hospital. Pretty messed up that an ophthalmologist thinks he knows better than all of them.

I don't know anyone requiring a booster or even a vaccine for patients, but it's their practice and their health. Ophthalmologists are second only to ENT and Anesthesia in risk of contracting infectious diseases from patients due to our physical proximity to your face during the exam. Maybe that's what motivates their behavior.

Physicians do have to ask about vaccines and document the answer in order meet meaningful use requirements. Maybe this is what you experienced?

LASIK is safe, but when there are complications they're a big deal.

Not the poster but I see no reason to doubt the claim. A while back when dealing with glasses that didn't come out right my eye doc wanted to check the PD in an attempt to figure out why my glasses were bothering me (I'm incredibly sensitive on my computer pair, I can't tolerate anything that isn't absolutely spot on)--and she walked over to the optical center to borrow their PD measurer. She didn't have one because it's not something she normally needs.

A simple ruler is enough. I am wearing glasses for 30 years and I had the few pairs with wrong PD, the next optometrist used a simple ruler and I am working with him for the past 20 years.

> My ophthalmologist claimed he didn’t have the equipment to add PD to his prescription.

It's called a PD Ruler and it's literally just a mm ruler. Bald-faced liar indeed.

Correction: "the equipment to add PD to his prescription" is called a pen.

They usually have a machine that reads it a bit more accurately.

I've had great experience with Zenni for single-vision prescriptions, but when I graduated to progressive (i.e. bifocal) lenses, the Zenni lenses were terrible and I couldn't use them. Not sure if it was the frame fit, or poor PD measuring on my part, but I tried twice and both times I couldn't use them.

The glasses I got from my optometrist are much better, at 3X - 4X the price of Zenni.

Zenni needs a "send in old glasses and we'll match" feature added.

It's easy to do your own PD measurement with a mirror and ruler

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33525673#33529513

my family won't even ask for the pd... so I can't buy them cheaper lenses... and I'm not going to have a giant fight with my spouse even tho for what I'm paying in vision coverage we could get 4-10x the glasses they get now.

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