Published: January 2018

Oppose a Washington State ban on telemedicine vision checks and prescription renewals

Consumer Action joined Americans for Vision Care Innovation in a letter to Washington State legislators in opposition to any state bans on "ocular telemedicine"—online vision tests that are useful for eyewear prescription renewals.

Americans for Vision Care Innovation sent this letter to the Washington State Senate and Ways & Means Leadership to flag a very important issue for consumers and taxpayers in Washington State: the right to get prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses renewed online. Current state laws allow for the use of telemedicine for online vision tests and prescription renewals. However in the last state legislative session, the lobby group for the optometric industry mounted a furious challenge to current law and attempted to ban telemedicine for vision checks and prescription renewals in Washington State. They were defeated by a coalition made up of the Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons, consumer advocates, medical professionals, and technology and innovation organizations.

Unfortunately, we understand that the same legislation (SB 5411) pushed by the optometric lobby most will likely be back in front of the Washington State Senate in some form during this year’s session. Americans for Vision Care Innovation strongly believes it must be stopped.

Download the Americans for Vision Care Innovation letter to the State Senate and Ways & Means Leadership.

 

 

Lead Organization

Americans for Vision Care Innovation

Other Organizations

Center for Freedom and Prosperity | Citizen Outreach | Consumer Action | Lens.com | League of United Latin American Citizens | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Taxpayers Union | Opternative | Progressive Policy Institute | R Street | Smart Vision Labs | 1-800 Contacts

Download PDF

Oppose a Washington State ban on telemedicine vision checks and prescription renewals   (AFVCI-WA-Letter.pdf)