Internet Eye Test

[KIT33R]

If you could sit at your home or office computer and do a simple and cheap eye test over the internet that gave an accurate prescription for corrective eyewear, knowing that your script was assessed by a registered optometrist, would you do the test and have glasses prepared based on the script you received?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I don't have any further comment.  At this point everything is hypothetical

JCH MD

[KIT33R]

Thanks for your replies. This test is not far away. I agree autorefractors are limited in application, very expensive, fragile and require expert knowledge to operate. What if the eye test included a screen for pathologies and then suggested visiting an eye care professional if the possiblity of pathology existed. Can I now broaden my question to include the 700 million people in the developing world who have never had an eye test and have very little chance of getting one. Granted, these people do not have computers but local medical clinics staffed by nurses do and quite often have internet feed through satelite dishes. If  you were one of these people would your answer be different given that there is an acute short of optometrists and opthalmologists in the developing world.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If such a test were available and the technical challenges are staggering it still would not do a medical eye exam. Its possible to have 20/20 vision, have no symptoms, need no glasses but have blinding diseases (example glaucoma, retinal detachment).

JCH MD

[berrywoo]

If such an exam where possible I'm sure many people would say yes (I am not one of them). However, no such exam exists.
The auto-refractor at the dr's office is probably the closest "quick & easy" measurement device out there (to what you're asking) and it's not perfect.