Elysse was told by an optometrist to consider “vision therapy” as a treatment for her child’s strabismus (crossed eyes), but the business she was sent to—Children’s Vision and Learning in Versailles, Kentucky—turned out to be one of those places where selling is their top priority, and medical care simply the product being sold. After being lied to about the cost, given a hard sell during the first appointment, and even being asked, “Don’t you care about your child’s vision?”, Elysse decided to look elsewhere. Now, four months after the experience, the business is billing her $50 for a “penciled in” appointment she never agreed to keep in the first place.
eyes
Vision Therapy Center 'Pencils In' Appointment Without Full Consent, Then Charges $50 No Show Fee
By 11.17.08
Should 8-Year Olds Wear Contacts?
By 6.11.08
The WSJ Health blog reports that Johnson & Johnson’s Vistakon division thinks the best way to increase sales is to decrease the age, from 15 to 8, as the time kids should start wearing contacts. A J&J sponsored study says it’s safe, and that kids can better enjoy sports and have improved self-esteem, but an ophthalmologist expressed concern that somewhere in between the frog-catching and BB guns (you’ll poke your eye out!) there’s a real risk of infection. What do you think?
Botched LASIK Eye Surgery Leads To Corneal Transplant
By 5.5.08
The vast majority of the time, LASIK eye surgery works out just fine. Then there are stories like Patrick’s. He was a “perfect” candidate for LASIK eye surgery according to both the doctor who performed the procedure and other experts who reviewed his records later.
It's Illegal To Charge For A Contact Lens Prescription
By 10.1.07
Did you know it’s illegal for a doctor to charge you for giving you your contact lens prescription? Yup, it’s against federal law. The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act mandates that a doctors must provide you with a copy of your prescription after a contact lens fitting.
AMO Recalls Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution
By 5.27.07
Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) is recalling their Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution after the CDC discovered that 138 people using the solution contracted acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).
UIC investigators think the infection is not originating in the manufacturing process, but that the cleaning solution is not protecting people from the infection, which they get in their eyes through showering or swimming, Tu said.
AK is caused by an amoeba, which if left untreated, can cause pain and blindness.
Above and Beyond: 1-800 CONTACTS Restores Vision, Faith in Customer Service
By 3.5.07
1-800 CONTACTS restored Kim’s vision, and her faith in customer service. Kim ordered four boxes of contacts, but received the wrong lenses, a fact she discovered when she tried them on and the world went fuzzy. “Way fuzzy. Like more more fuzzy than with no contacts at all.”
So I started comparing my old boxes to my new boxes and discovered that while the power of the lenses was correct, there was a plus sign (+) on the new boxes and a minus sign (-) on my old boxes. The order form had a plus on it so whoever fulfilled the order (probably a machine since the boxes are bar coded and we use a similar boxing system at my company) did their job properly. I came to the awful realization that I had filled the order form out wrong. It was all my fault and a fairly expensive $200 mistake.
Ouch. Kim made the mistake, so Kim should pay for new lenses, right?
CDC: MoistureLoc, Yep, It Had Fungus
By 8.23.06
An official report concluded Renu MositureLoc was the only eye care solution contributing to outbreaks of Fusarium infection earlier this year. They still had no clue why, though.
