Thread by @Yascha_Mounk

In every country I’ve ever lived, I could buy whatever pair of glasses or contacts I wanted—no prescription necessary. Except in the United States.

It’s high time we put Americans in charge of their own vision care. Abolish mandatory eye exams!

[Thread.]
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Recently, I lost my glasses in a… very embarrassing kayaking accident.

It took weeks to get the eye exam I needed to buy new ones. Till then, I had to wear ridiculously flowery optical sunglasses—in libraries and offices, classrooms and planes.

Which got me to thinking: WHY?!

To buy glasses or contacts, Americans need to have a recent prescription from a medical professional who spent OVER SEVEN YEARS in higher education.

The ostensible reason: Impaired vision may point to serious health problems that a new pair of glasses will neither treat nor heal

This is true insofar as it goes. Every year, some Americans avoid blindness because optometrists discover progressive diseases. That matters a lot.

But... having to spend ~80 extra bucks to get glasses also makes it way harder for the poor (or busy) to access basic vision care.

How many Americans go through life seeing less well because they don’t have an up-to-date prescription?

How many students do poorly because they can’t read what’s written on the blackboard?

And how many accidents are caused by drivers who can’t see the road properly?

Yes, eye exams save the sight of some Americans. But they also ensure that even more suffer from terrible vision. It's a trade-off..

..and on balance, banning the sale of glasses or contacts unless you’ve recently had a costly eye exam from a medical professional makes no sense.

So the real reason for America's eye exam scam isn’t public health; it’s vested interests.

Mandatory eye exams mean a ton of income for the country’s optometrists.

They also funnel huge revenue to the companies whose products in-store optometrists aggressively push on patients.

This has wider relevance. Any honest conversation about universal coverage would deal with two facts *all* the major candidates are ignoring:

• The huge amount of money Americans spend on doctors’ salaries.
• The excess services provided or required by our health care system.

Thankfully, it should be possible to build consensus on this:

• Progressives should care about the disproportionate burden carried by disadvantaged groups who are less able to afford eye exams.
• Conservatives should care about this as a needless intrusion on the free market.

It’s high time to put an end to the great American eye-exam scam. Let’s abolish mandatory eye exams!

Please share my call-to-arms @TheAtlantic.

[End.]

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

@TheAtlantic The mail I'm getting from people on both sides of this issue is INTENSE.