Optometric associations in New York State have rounded on the developers of mobile refraction service Blink, challenging the legality of its services.
Blink, developed by EyeNetra, offers at-home vision tests at the request of the patient. The tests are carried out by what Blink described as ‘visioneers,’ who, according to the New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA), are unregistered practitioners who use a series of smartphone-derived refractive tools to acquire patient data under the remote supervision of an optometrist. If the Rx is approved by the optometrist, a digital copy is sent to the patient.
Blink’s developers have said that it makes it clear to patients that the service is not a comprehensive eye exam and that it made referrals to local optometrists.
EyeNetra representatives recently met with the NYSOA board to expand on how Blink services were delivered. The NYSOA concluded that the care and business models were incompatible with state law. It had the backing of the New York Board of Optometry and the American Optometric Association (AOA) and contacted the state’s Education Department and its Office of Professional Discipline. It has asked the department to review the matter and cease operations in New York State if Blink breached any laws and regulations.
‘We are concerned, regardless of whatever disclaimers Blink might make, that patients who receive mobile refractions from unsupervised and unlicensed “visioneers” will assume that they have received a comprehensive eye health examination,’ said Michele Lagana, OD and NYSOA president.
A number of potential breaches of the state laws were also identified, including the scopes of practice of optometry and ophthalmic dispensing and possible professional misconduct by delegating professional tasks to unqualified and unsupervised employees. Potential illegal fee-splitting between an unlicensed referral service and a licensed practitioner was also highlighted.
