With the rise of optical retailers online, DOMINIQUE JORGENSEN weighs up the importance of optical dispensing skills and patient outcomes versus the consumer’s freedom of choice and accessibility when it comes to purchasing glasses.
When I began this article, it was easier to think of the cons, rather than the pros, for ordering spectacles online. As an optical dispenser, my mind went to all the interpersonal skills we use, tailored advice, and the specific measurements and variables we juggle when dispensing for patients. However, with the growth of online spectacle retailers, there’s clearly a demand for this service.
It makes sense some optical retailers would jump at the opportunity for a new, cost-effective income stream in the online marketplace. Using existing lab and supply chain resources but expanding their market reach from the local area to interstate or even international consumers seems like a no-brainer.
Then for some patients, there’s always been an issue about the cost of spectacles. I’ve experienced the distrust of patients ‘burnt’ previously by retailers promising the world, charging exorbitant prices, then providing a subpar product. So, the opportunity to purchase suitable spectacles at a cheaper price is understandably enticing. Add to that the astounding range of styles, colours, and materials available online, with new frame technology and the use of social media to market them, it makes purchasing online even more appealing.
However, when I first mentioned buying glasses online to my seven-year-old daughter, her response was “but how do you know if they fit properly?”. Then came a slew of comments about colour misinterpretation, shape selection, and an adorable quip about the glasses looking “very expensive” on the screen, but then actually arriving looking “…very cheap, so it’s not worth the money”.
These are issues most online shoppers face, though when provided with enough information from retailers, accurate dimensions (such as Dresden Vision’s ingenious printable size guide), AR-technology, and customer reviews, a lot of these risks can be mitigated.
The risk for consumers when purchasing prescription glasses online, however, lies in the lack of understanding that every pair of glasses are customised for them. It’s not just a matter of choosing a shape and colour you like, and that the ‘size’ or numbers on the temples match your current pair. Dispensing is an in-depth process of frame and lens selection with precise measurements, requiring specialised knowledge, and must be specific to the prescription and lens type ordered.
These mostly need to be conducted in-person, with the frame sitting on the customer’s face. Ordering a +1.00 DS pair of readers online will have a relatively high success rate, due to the low, uncomplicated prescription, however how will a pair of -6.00 DS spectacles, or even a pair of progressives, for a first-time wearer transpire?
This is where the accuracy – or sometimes complete absence – of measurements during an online order come into play. Most online retailers provide instructions on how to measure pupillary distance. Doable, and in some cases passably accurate. Many retailers, though, lack the ability to consider height measurements. Whether that’s centre of rotation rule heights for single vision, or fitting heights for progressives, it’s difficult to take that frame-dependent measurement without the frame present. Other measurements for high-prescriptions such as back vertex distance (BVD), pantoscopic tilt, and wrap are impossible to take without the frame present. An adaption to the digital frame fitting technology available in stores by using AR technology may be possible, however it doesn’t seem widely available yet.
Other prescription considerations that may slip through are conditions like anisometropia – where the strength of the prescription may fit under their ‘suggested index for this prescription’ but the difference in spectacle magnification can cause significant adaption issues.
When thinking of online purchasing, this raises a few questions for me: are the patient’s expectations lower or higher because of the online purchasing process? Are the consumers more lenient on issues with fit or vision/clarity because they purchased online? And where does the responsibility lie for online spectacle distributors to abide by Australian and New Zealand Standards for mounted spectacles? Especially when some retailers send their spectacles directly from overseas labs, how can we ensure patients are receiving the ideal correction, within AUS/NZ Standards, if we have no hand in supplying the spectacles?
Dispensing concerns aside, the ability to purchase spectacles online does improve access. Previously, people with disabilities, elderly patients, and rural residents would either go without, or undertake long and expensive trips to purchase glasses. And immunocompromised people would need to risk their health for in-person visits.
With the ever-expanding digital retail environment, I’m interested to see the development of online spectacle retailers and how they can overcome the practical requirements for dispensing. While I believe no technology or online retailer can replace a qualified optical dispenser, there are some areas where online retailers can offer a solution when traditional methods can’t – as long as they’re within AUS/NZ Standards.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dominique Jorgensen is a qualified optical dispenser, assessor for the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing, and a technical officer and optical dispensing instructor at The University of Western Australia. She is also the marketing assistant for Optical Dispensers Australia.
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