OK, OK, I get it... People in Vancouver loooooove Trevor Linden. I know, I'm from here. So I expected a few people to be a little ticked off with me for recently writing a blog titled "How Trevor Linden Sold Out".
But, like any great story, there is always a pre-story; the prequel that provides you with greater insight into the original saga and how things came to be. Batman had Batman Begins. James Bond had Casino Royale. And Star Wars had (however unfortunately) Episodes 1, 2, and 3. This, my friends, is the Hobbit to my Lord of the Rings.
It all started in 2007. A company named clearly contacts (aka coastal contacts) that sells contact lenses online, had a lawsuit filed against them in BC Supreme Court because they were breaking the law by not requiring their customers to present valid prescriptions before ordering contacts. The law in all Canadian provinces and US states is that all patients must have a valid prescription and the online company must confirm it with the eye care professional who provides it.
This rule is in place to help prevent the misuse and incorrect fitting of contact lenses which can lead to serious, potentially vision threatening complications.
In 2009, the courts made a decision. clearly contacts must start abiding by the law OR have it changed. They decided to pursue the latter.
Abracadabra...
In 2010, Health Minister Kevin Falcon created new legislation that allowed online sales without the requirement of a prescription from an eye care professional. I can hear the gasps... He did what?? He changed the rules, with no regard for public health, to suit the needs of one corporation.
Apparently, Health Minister Falcon believed that buying contacts and glasses for cheaper was in the public's best interest, but having regular eye health examinations was not. Are these the types of decisions a HEALTH minister is supposed to be making?
MLA Adrian Dix put it well when he said "Health Minister Kevin Falcon will lower eye care standards to satisfy the commercial interests of one company, ignoring the open opposition from the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, physicians, and several health professional bodies..."
How is it possible that British Columbia is the only place in North America that is satisfied with these third world standards of health care? We often refer to American health care as an example of a flawed system, one that does not promote wellness and disease prevention. But now Americans (and other Canadians) are looking at us and wondering how or why we would possibly allow our standards to be lowered in such a way. The answer, my friends, is money.
That last point to resonates quite loudly in recent news articles which shed light on some large endorsements that the "honorable" Kevin Flacon has been receiving from a certain online company. *Cough* clearly contacts *Cough*
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/173102--falcon-may-be-too-cozy-with-business-community
By the way, this person is planning on becoming the next Premier of British Columbia.
So, What About Trevor Linden?
Our captain joined clearly contacts as their spokesperson early in 2010. Please refer to the original conversation of How Trevor Linden Sold Out for more information.
Someone recently said to me "...that's what celebrities and athletes do. Companies give them money to promote their product, and they do it... what's the big deal?"
Is that not the definition of selling out? Doing something ethically questionable for money. Especially when the very thing you are promoting is ultimately causing a decline in the overall well being and quality of care in the same community that has raised you and embraced you as its hero and idol.
But, like any great story, there is always a pre-story; the prequel that provides you with greater insight into the original saga and how things came to be. Batman had Batman Begins. James Bond had Casino Royale. And Star Wars had (however unfortunately) Episodes 1, 2, and 3. This, my friends, is the Hobbit to my Lord of the Rings.
It all started in 2007. A company named clearly contacts (aka coastal contacts) that sells contact lenses online, had a lawsuit filed against them in BC Supreme Court because they were breaking the law by not requiring their customers to present valid prescriptions before ordering contacts. The law in all Canadian provinces and US states is that all patients must have a valid prescription and the online company must confirm it with the eye care professional who provides it.
This rule is in place to help prevent the misuse and incorrect fitting of contact lenses which can lead to serious, potentially vision threatening complications.
In 2009, the courts made a decision. clearly contacts must start abiding by the law OR have it changed. They decided to pursue the latter.
Abracadabra...
In 2010, Health Minister Kevin Falcon created new legislation that allowed online sales without the requirement of a prescription from an eye care professional. I can hear the gasps... He did what?? He changed the rules, with no regard for public health, to suit the needs of one corporation.
Apparently, Health Minister Falcon believed that buying contacts and glasses for cheaper was in the public's best interest, but having regular eye health examinations was not. Are these the types of decisions a HEALTH minister is supposed to be making?
MLA Adrian Dix put it well when he said "Health Minister Kevin Falcon will lower eye care standards to satisfy the commercial interests of one company, ignoring the open opposition from the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, physicians, and several health professional bodies..."
How is it possible that British Columbia is the only place in North America that is satisfied with these third world standards of health care? We often refer to American health care as an example of a flawed system, one that does not promote wellness and disease prevention. But now Americans (and other Canadians) are looking at us and wondering how or why we would possibly allow our standards to be lowered in such a way. The answer, my friends, is money.
That last point to resonates quite loudly in recent news articles which shed light on some large endorsements that the "honorable" Kevin Flacon has been receiving from a certain online company. *Cough* clearly contacts *Cough*
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/173102--falcon-may-be-too-cozy-with-business-community
By the way, this person is planning on becoming the next Premier of British Columbia.
So, What About Trevor Linden?
Our captain joined clearly contacts as their spokesperson early in 2010. Please refer to the original conversation of How Trevor Linden Sold Out for more information.
Someone recently said to me "...that's what celebrities and athletes do. Companies give them money to promote their product, and they do it... what's the big deal?"
Is that not the definition of selling out? Doing something ethically questionable for money. Especially when the very thing you are promoting is ultimately causing a decline in the overall well being and quality of care in the same community that has raised you and embraced you as its hero and idol.
I can only hope Canada's deregulation inspires similar in the US, or at least an improvement over outrageous "patient trapping" resulting from laws disfavoring educated consumers who have been successful wearers for years, or might want to switch brands of similar contacts
ReplyDeleteHow stupid is this: I am followed by an ophthalmologist on a fairly regular basis, (at least every other year and usually more often). Yet I must submit to a useless "eye exam" AND a refraction AND a contact lens "fitting", though I have been fit in the same general type of lens and same measurements every year for many years.
Despite having ALL of the above less than one month ago, if I want to try Biofinity lenses instead of my Rx'd Purevision 2, I must pay $90 for a "fitting" of lenses of the same general type (extended wear, aspheric, single vision silicone hydrogels) and exactly same base curve and diameter.
Your problem is you think consumers are stupid. You know full well that long time lens users know when they don't see well or have discomfort, and those who see well and have no discomfort can make a brand change as above without being "fitted". It's nothing short of theft to take money for a brand change like that.
Most people who need eye correction or are aging have sense enough to get an eye exam every few years and more often when needed. Free markets and choice reward sense. But demanding $90 for a brand for a prescription so similar less than a month from the original is a racket. It' not done for MY benefit at all.
Oh, in case it isn't clear, it's an OD (mostly assistants of the OD) who do a little puff test and astigmatism test and call it a day, then "fit" me with the same type of lenses I've worn for years. The refraction I get from the ophthalmologist is just as good but I still have to see the OD to get contacts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would like to say that I do not think that consumers are stupid. In fact, I prefer it when patients have a greater knowledge about their health. Its actually quite refreshing when people ask me intelligent questions about their eyes. For that reason, I commend you on your knowledge base and the fact that you are conscious enough of your own health to visit an eye care professional on a regular basis. The sad truth is that a significant portion of the population does not maintain this awareness. And that's why it is so important have certain regulations in place. To help avoid conditions that are in fact preventable.
That last part is particularly important in Canada since we have socialized health care. If we can prevent serious conditions from ever developing, we can effectively save everyone some tax dollars.
If you had the opportunity to read one of my more recent blogs titled "Contact Lens Addicts", you would see that even a young healthy patient, at the age of 19, was at risk of permanently losing vision in one eye due to improper fitting and wearing of her lenses. In fact, even now, she will not be correctable to 20/20 due to the damage that has been done. This is not an unusual or chance occurrence.
I cannot speak for the optometrist that you visited, but most of the clinics around here do not charge anything near $90 for a contact lens assessment. If you were to walk into our clinic with a valid prescription from your ophthalmologist, it would be $20 for an assessment or re-fit of a sperical (non-toric) soft contact lens. This is pretty much standard around the Vancouver area.
Regardless of fitting fees, the main sentiment in this blog was the importance of regular eye exams and how deeply disappointed I was that the government of British Columbia trivialized a part of our health care so easily.