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[sjc <indexer AT fairpoint.net>]

EarthNSky wrote:
> First appointment today was the ophthalmologist...good news there-my
> pressures are at the high end of normal..yeah.. I got a new prescription
> for glasses, but the doc is an a-hole and was definitely in his a-hole
> mood today.  He was such a PITA that I am considering filing a report
> against him.  Long story short, I will have to pay an optometrist to
> make the measurements of my eyes that are needed to get my glasses via
> mail, as the one today refused to do it saying he is treating me for
> this and this and this, not so that I can get cheap glasses from a
> company he has never heard of.  And that was just the beginning.
>   
This is exactly the kind of stuff I referenced in a post gone by.....and 
common.  It seems these folks are so used to having it their way ($$$$)  
that we shouldn't ever dare impede them...

In almost all states the optometrist/ophthalmologist must provide you 
with your prescription and the optician you last saw must provide you 
with the physical measurements needed for visual corrections ON YOUR 
REQUEST. 

You can also get someone else to make them; they are simple 
measurements, not rocket science.  Here's what I did, in Maine, but 
doesn't matter the state
.
   1) Call the licensing or regulatory  board in your state and ask 
about whether or not the optician is required to supply the information 
to you.  If negative, have someone else do the measuring.  It is simple, 
only requires a decent metric rule, someone to read it, and good light.  
Call Zenni if you need instructions about the what-to-measure. 
   2) If answer is positive, you can still, of course, do the 
measurements yourself of with help of another person.  What I did, 
simply because I felt like forcing the issue, was to call the optician 
back, ask again for the measurements, and when they declined, I calmly 
stated that I didn't understand, I'd thought they were a reputable 
business and since I just 10 minutes ago talked to Mr_______ at the 
state regulatory board who stated these measurements must be supplied, I 
hadn't expected to be lied to.  I gave her about 5 seconds to react and 
when she didn't stated that I would be filing a report with Mr_______ 
concerning their refusal to comply with the law.  Suddenly she needed to 
"consult with someone", put me on hold for a bit and returned with the 
measurements.  Took all of 15 minutes total, got the phone slammed in my 
ear to end the process, but I got the measurements......
   3) I filed a report anyway, citing the several unsuccessful calls I 
had made previously and the fact that I'd had to hold the law over their 
heads to get the measurements, and the phone slamming, just for the h*** 
of it.  Most licensing boards take a dim view of bad attitude toward the 
patient/customer.
   4) If it's the prescription you couldn't get, follow the same 
procedure, although the licensing/regulatory board may be a different 
one.  I've never heard of a state not requiring them to give you a copy 
of your script, but I've sure had plenty of trouble getting them and 
have had to follow the above path in IN, VA, and ME so far.

People/behaviors like this make me embarrassed to have ever been a part 
of the medical system.  I report every one now, and I wish everyone else 
did.  In most states that information (reports of negative interactions 
within the medical field) is available now on the net and I use it when 
I need to make changes in whom I see for medical services.  If more 
people reported and more people consulted such information, we could be 
a little safer.  It's not much but it's about all we've got.

Anyway.  You don't have to do it at all, of course, just call Zenni or 
whoever for the what/how instructions (very simple) and have Ron (or 
anyone else who can read a metric rule, which ought to be just about 
anyone you know....) do it.  Grrr.

SJ