I’ve just taken an eye exam — not in a spiffy doctor’s office with fancy contraptions, but in my living room with my smartphone and laptop.

我刚刚接受了一次视力检查——不是在医生办公室里，也没有用什么昂贵高级的奇妙玩意儿，整个检查就在我的起居室里进行，使用的是我的智能手机和笔记本电脑。

A new site called Opternative promises the high-tech¹, hands-off equivalent of a refraction test — one of the exams performed by an eye doctor to measure a prescription² for eyeglasses or contact lenses — in the comfort of your own home.

通常，眼科医生通过验光（即屈光检查）来为患者开配镜（普通或隐形眼镜）处方。如今，一个名为Opternative的新网站承诺，他们的新技术可以让人们舒舒服服地在自己家里完成类似的检查过程。

To do the test, you need to have smartphone, a computer and at least 12 feet of space. You also have to be between the ages of 18 and 40. Unfortunately, I don’t make the cut, but for the purpose of experiencing this service first hand, I shaved an even 10 years off of my real age and did the test anyway. What’s a little white lie for science?

要进行这项检测，需要有一部智能手机、一台电脑和至少12英尺（约合3.65米）的空间。此外，受试者的年龄须在18岁至40岁之间。不幸的是，我并不符合这个要求，但为了亲身体验这项服务，我把自己的真实年龄减去了10岁。出于探讨科学的目的，撒个善意的小谎应该不要紧吧？

The actual exam is simple. You start by stepping 10 feet away from your computer — which Opternative calibrates³ and walks you through using a credit card and your own shoe size. Once you are set up, it’s an easy dive into the D.I.Y. exam. The test includes a series of visual tests, some with one eye covered, looking at various shapes, patterns, numbers and letters on the screen. You’re guided through the process with audio and video prompts, and respond to questions by clicking through multiple-choice questions using your smartphone as a remote control for the test.

实际的检测过程非常简单。首先，你需要走到距离电脑10英尺（约合3.0米）处——Opternative会借助信用卡和你自己的鞋码指导你准确把握这一距离。搞定这步之后，就可以轻松进入这一自助式(D.I.Y.)视力检查的其余步骤了。整个测试包括一系列的视力检测（有的要求你遮住一只眼睛），电脑屏幕上将出现各种各样不同的形状、图案、数字和字母，你将在口述和书面提示的全程指导下，使用智能手机作为遥控器，点击多项选择题的选项来回答问题。

At the end of the test, it asks you to fill out your medical and eye history, choose glasses or contacts ($40), or both ($60), and then wait for an ophthalmologist licensed⁴ in your state to review the exam and issue a prescription. Easy right? You’ll have a digital eye prescription within 24 hours.

在测试结束后，它会要求你填写你的病史和眼科病史，并选择想要配普通眼镜还是隐形眼镜（需支付40美元），又或者两者皆要（需支付60美元）。之后，你只要等着你所在州的持证执业眼科医生审核检查结果，并开出处方就行了。很容易对不对？24小时之内，一张数字化的眼科处方就到手了。

Except, that’s not what happened to me.

只不过，我的经历却并非如此。

Shortly after finishing the exam, I received a series of emails from someone at Opternative support, advising me to go see an eye doctor in person. The company promptly⁵ refunded⁶ my $40 and offered to help me find a trusted doctor in my area. They also helpfully recommended that I pick up a pair of +1.50 reading glasses.

在完成检查后不久，我收到Opternative发来的多封电子邮件，劝告我亲自去拜访一下眼科医生。公司迅速退还了我那40美元，并提出愿意帮助我在我所在地区找一个值得信赖的医生。此外，他们还周到地建议我配一副屈光度为+1.50 D（150度）的老花镜。

Wait. Rejection⁷. What happened?

等等！先别忙。这是怎么回事情？

With my permission, Aaron Dallek, the company’s co-founder, spoke⁸ with the California-based ophthalmologist who reviewed my exam to find out why he chose not to issue a prescription. There were apparently⁹ a few red flags from my medical history that kept me from fooling the system.

经我允许后，Opternative公司的联合创始人阿龙·达莱克(Aaron Dallek)与常驻加州的一位眼科医生进行了沟通，询问他为什么在审核我的检查结果后选择不出具处方。原来，是我的病史中存在危险信号(red flag)，害我没能成功糊弄过这个系统。

First, I hadn’t ever seen an eye doctor in person, other than doing regular eye checks with my family physician. Second, I had mentioned some fuzziness around lights while driving at night, and some reading issues when my eyes are tired. While those symptoms are perfectly¹⁰ common for a 44-year-old (my real age), they are cause for concern for someone who reports their age as 34, which is what I did.

首先，除了接受家庭医生的定期眼部检查之外，我从来没有亲自拜访过眼科医生。第二，我曾提到在夜间开车时觉得灯光周围有一圈模糊，当我眼睛疲劳时阅读也会出现问题。虽然对于一个44岁（我的实际年龄）的人来说，这些症状相当常见，可出现在一个34岁（我虚报的年龄）的人身上，就难怪医生会担心了。

Even though I fooled no one, in my quest to test Opternative, I still found the process to be straightforward¹¹ and relatively¹² hassle-free. Opternative is best suited for the person who finds themselves between eye exams and simply needs a new pair of glasses or wants to try a new brand of contact lenses. And the firm says it plans to expand its test to the over-40 crowd next year.

不过，我的本意只是想体验一下opternative，所以虽然没能蒙混过关，我仍然感觉这个检查十分轻松简单。Opternative最适合那些想配副新眼镜，或想尝试下某个新品牌的隐形眼镜，不巧正赶上两次眼科检查的中间时段的人。该公司称，他们计划明年将该检查的适宜受试者扩大到40岁以上人群。

Now some bad news. You’ll need 25 uninterrupted minutes to take the test. Unfortunately, it’s also not covered by insurance, and it’s only available in 30 states so far. Most important, it’s not a comprehensive eye exam so it’s not a good option for people who have an unusual symptom or are worried about their eye health, including diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts¹³ and diabetes¹⁴.

现在，我们再来说一些坏消息。这项检查需要连续进行25分钟。而且，不幸的是，目前只有30个州可以享受这项服务，费用还不能从医保里报销。最重要的是，它并非全面的眼科检查，如果存在异常症状或者担心自己患有青光眼、白内障或糖尿病等眼部疾病，它绝非你的明智选择。

Even so, for people who are candidates for the service, the company says the results are statistically¹⁵ equivalent to a traditional in-person exam. The firm says data from a clinical trial showed that participants achieved at least 20/25 vision with the prescription generated by the Opternative self-test. Those results are statistically equivalent to a traditional in-person exam.

即便如此，该公司表示，对于适宜的受试者，检查结果的准确性在统计上与传统的当面检查不相上下。他们还称，临床试验的数据显示，参与者采用Opternative自助验光生成的处方后，矫正视力至少可以达到20/25。从统计上来说，这些结果与传统的面对面检查相当。

Opternative does have a disclaimer at the bottom of its homepage: “Opternative’s service does not include any type of eye health exam. Our service only provides patients with a refractive eye exam, which measures a person’s prescription for glasses or contact lenses.”

Opternative还在其主页底部做出了如下声明：“Opternative的服务不包括任何类型的眼部健康检查。我们仅为患者提供验光服务，以及依此开具的配制普通眼镜或隐形眼镜的处方。”

Even so, the American Optometric Association does not support online eye exams. The A.O.A. president, Dr. Steven Loomis, has said he’s concerned that eye patients may try to skip in-person appointments entirely¹⁶ once they get a taste of digital convenience.

即便如此，美国视光协会(American Optometric Association, A.O.A.)并不支持在线的眼科检查。A.O.A.的主席史蒂文·卢米斯(Steven Loomis)博士表示，他担心一旦眼疾患者尝到了数字化检查的方便之处，就会完全略过约见正规眼科医生当面看诊的“麻烦”。

“Opternative knows it’s not offering anyone an eye exam, yet they claim that they are,” Dr. Loomis said in an email. “We actively¹⁷ oppose inferior and outright¹⁸ bad patient care, and instances when technology can be abused in a way that leaves patients misled, misinformed or confused about the state of their own health.”

“Opternative明知自己无法为任何人提供眼科检查，却声称自己做得到。”卢米斯博士在一封电子邮件中说。“我们强烈抵制水平低劣的患者医护，反对滥用技术误导患者，以致令他们搞不清自己的健康状况。”

Adding to the criticism from the optometry community is a lawsuit¹⁹ alleging²⁰ one of Opternative’s co-founders used proprietary²¹ information from the National Board of Examiners in Optometry for a different website business. The complaint, which isn’t related to Opternative’s online eye exams and has been settled, does seem to have created a public relations challenge for the firm.

除了上述来自眼科学界的批评之外，还有人提起诉讼，控告Opternative的创始人之一在另一项网站业务中使用了美国国家视力测定术考核委员会(National Board of Examiners in Optometry)的专有信息。该投诉虽与Opternative的在线视力检查无关，且已经达成了庭外和解，但它确实对该公司的公关能力提出了一大挑战。

What does all of that have to do with the convenience of getting a prescription for glasses or contacts? Nothing for me. Heeding²² Opternative’s advice, I made an appointment with an eye doctor, and spent two hours in his office and more than $500 to end up back where I started: With a pair of reading glasses and the knowledge that my eyesight just isn’t what it used to be.

但比起可以便捷地获得普通或隐形眼镜处方，上述种种又有什么大不了的？反正我是觉得没什么关系。我听取Opternative的建议约见了眼科医生，在他的办公室待了两个小时还花了500多美元，最后的结果也不过是回到了原地：配一副老花镜，并承认自己的视力已经不如以往。

I personally did not feel misled by my online eye exam experience, but I am not surprised that eye doctors are wary²³ about online services. Other medical professionals have expressed similar reservations about telemedicine, but a number of new digital services are now delivering online consultations²⁴ anyway. It was only a matter of time before the eyes have it too.

我个人觉得并没有被这次的在线验光误导，不过眼科医生对在线服务持谨慎态度也并不令我感到惊讶。其他的医学专业人士也对远程医疗表示了类似的保留意见，但无论如何，目前有若干个新兴的数字服务在提供在线咨询。眼科出现此类服务只是个时间迟早的问题。