Accuracy, repeatability of eyeglasses ordered online significantly improved
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The number of spectacle lens prescriptions ordered from online vendors that met national standards for optical quality has significantly improved since previous studies, according to data published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“Online purchasing of health care products (prescription drugs, orthodontic appliances, hearing aids, other durable medical equipment) is a growing consumer trend, and eyeglasses are no exception,” Adam Gordon OD, MPH, FAAO, of the University of Alabama School of Optometry, told Healio. “This study should provide optometrists and ophthalmologists with evidence regarding the accuracy and safety of internet-purchased eyeglasses.”
To assess the accuracy of ordering prescription spectacle lenses online, the researchers paid participants to order lenses from three different online vendors with different prescriptions varying in factors such as sphere, cylinder and axis. The orders were based on 1,000 previously filled prescriptions observed from a prior study.
Participants placed 100 orders with each of the three vendors, with the orders including a range of high and low powered single vision lenses and progressive addition lenses, with duplicate orders to assess consistency and repeatability. The researchers counted lenses that failed to meet the standards of the American National Standards Institute Z80.1-2015 and the FDA as failures.
The researchers found that nearly one in 10 spectacle lens orders failed to meet the national standards, with no lens impact testing failures. According to the study, this figure is a significant improvement on previously published data that reported a 44.8% overall failure rate of online ordered lenses.
The failure rates (mean ± standard error) for the three individual vendors were 11.2 ± 3.2% for vendor A; 8.0 ± 2.7% for vendor B; and 8.2 ± 2.8% for vendor C, with a high prescription repeatability rate for the 20 prescriptions ordered five times from each vendor, with correlation coefficients greater than 90%. These findings are significant because the vendors “generally provided accurate prescription glasses approximately 90% of the time,” Gordon told Healio.
Although the data show an improvement in quality, the researchers note limitations of the study, such as the lack of customer satisfaction assessment with the ordered spectacle lenses, the quality of the lens materials and the quality of the fit for individual facial features.
“As with most consumer products and services, you generally get what you pay for,” Gordon told Healio. “Low cost does not necessarily mean the best value or quality. A trained professional who understands the patient’s visual and lifestyle needs and the various lens design options is still recommended for most patients.”
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