Editor's Page
My Dog Knows Better than This
by RICH KIRKNER
There’s something about putting a piece of plastic with refractive
properties on extremely sensitive tissue such as the eye for a prolonged
period of time. This plastic should enable the person to see well enough
to function and interact with that individual’s systems in a way
that does no harm.
It requires a doctor’s expertise. It requires science. It requires
a prescription. So if the folks at 1-800 Contacts want to be in the contact
lens business, you would think that the people they need the most are
you and your colleagues. A dog wouldn’t bite the hand that feeds
him.
Yet, 1-800 Contacts has all but declared war on O.D.s in Texas (see “1-800
Contacts says Texas O.D.s are Corralling Contact Lens Sales,” News
Review, page 6). The company blames optometry of concocting legislation
that would limit contact lens dispensing to doctors.
The Texas Optometric Association says this isn’t so. That doesn’t
stop 1-800 CEO Jonathan Coon from asking in a Web site diatribe if the
reader could imagine his or her medical doctor refusing a call from a
pharmacy to confirm an Rx.
Here’s one for Mr. Coon. Can you imagine a pharmacy stating this
in its documents? “If the Company is unable to obtain a copy of or
verify the customer’s prescription, it is the Company’s practice
to complete the sale …” It’s there in 1-800’s annual
10-K report on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A pharmacy
that admitted to such a practice wouldn’t stay in business for long.
The company’s smear campaign against Texas O.D.s is irresponsible,
unjustified and just plain—well, not smart.
After all, people considered leaders in this profession and this magazine
itself have gone on record countless times to say that releasing a contact
lens Rx is the right thing to do, even if your state law doesn’t
require it.
Bear in mind, though, that a prescription is much more than a piece of
paper. It’s the sum total of a doctor’s refractive and clinical
training brought to bear on one patient encounter, based on the unique
data collected in that encounter. It’s the hand-written manifestation
of years of sweat, tears, frustration and enlightenment. It’s one
serious document.
It’s science, and you should take science seriously. Especially if
you’re in the business.
© Review of Optometry OnLine
February 15, 2001