Reception Area Reading Material -- Education or Misinformation?

BY JOSEPH T. BARR, O.D., M.S., EDITOR
APR. 1997

Bargain with your doctor . . . Buy contacts and cleaning products at a discount pharmacy or a superstore . . . Skip extras (like) antiglare/antiscratch coating."

Our patients are receiving this questionable advice right in the comfort of our own reception areas.

Recently, someone sent me a copy of an article from the January issue of Glamour magazine titled "Save on Contacts and Glasses" in a section called "More for Your Money." The article opens by saying the price of wearing contact lenses or eyeglasses "can make you think you're seeing double." It then tells patients how to save. "Bargain with your doctor," the article says, adding that the doctor should be willing to write a prescription after examining the patient and fitting her for her first pair of lenses.

I defend patients' rights to a contact lens prescription, and I acknowledge that most mass merchandisers have less expensive lens solutions that are fine for most patients. But, I wonder if the journalists at Glamour ever thought to add that this should be done in consultation with an eyecare practitioner, and that some patients who have special needs can't even get their solutions at such locations.

And what business is it of Glamour's how you ethically charge fees?

Although the article discourages lens purchases from discount clubs, it says nothing about the importance of good care or the value associated with purchasing lenses from an eyecare practitioner. Instead, it encourages lens purchases from retail outlets like Safeway pharmacies.

Finally, the article insults everyone's intelligence by telling patients to skip "extras" like antiglare/antiscratch coatings and super-thin lenses. Let me see if I get this straight. A magazine dedicated to making you look your best is saying everyone should get the thick lenses that scratch easily and look decidedly unglamorous. And get them without antiglare coating so everyone can see multiple reflections instead of your beautiful, glamorous eyes. I'm surprised they didn't say, "get the thick, low water content contact lenses. They handle more easily, don't tear as often and . . . oh well, oxygen transfer is overrated anyway." Or better yet, "Get more for your money. Buy two six-packs and wear them for six years. Your eyes may get sick, but you'll save a bundle."

I would encourage you to have your staff look through the magazines in your office before you place them in the reception area. Have them look for misleading or inaccurate eyecare information and make sure you and your staff are ready to refute it if necessary. Glamour may be a good source for advice on looking pretty, but I wouldn't rely on it for good advice on health care. We need to make sure our patients read and hear information that will help them be safer, more comfortable and looking their best. That may not be what they're reading in our reception areas. CLS