There’s a new way to test your eyesight and there is no need to leave the house to see a doctor. However, the question is whether doctors find these new at-home tests accurate or bogus.
There are many at home eye exam kits and apps you can try and learn whether you need glasses. Dr. Lee Schelonka with Kaiser Permanente says ophthalmologists have told patients to use apps to test their eyesight from home as a preliminary exam.
Dr. Shelonka says these at-home tests are great at keeping up to date with your eye health, but you still need a professional doctor.
“If you were doing the testing at home and didn’t have a relationship with an eye doctor then you might not know how to interpret the tests.”
The apps and at-home kits are easy to use and can be administered within 5 minutes. However, Dr. Shelonka wishes these apps tested more than just near and farsighted vision.
Dr. Shelonka says, “I’d like to see more disease specific things go on, for example glaucoma."
An at-home exam that tests not only for near and farsighted vision but also peripheral vision could help more patients get professional care at the doctor’s office.
Although, many doctors are okay with these at-home eye exams, they want patients to know that these apps are to be paired with the care of an ophthalmologist.
