By: Drew Armstrong –

Greek philosopher Heraclitus once stated: “There is nothing permanent except change.” Unfortunately, there are some people that resist change either because they don’t understand it or because the change doesn’t serve their particular needs.

The American Optometric Association (AOA), along with their “Big Eye” manufacturing partners like Johnson & Johnson, have spent many years and millions of dollars trying to resist the inevitable changes that are reshaping the eye health industry. But last week, they selfishly tried to use their influence to convince federal legislators, including Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas), to pass federal legislation that will protect their monopoly even at the expense and inconvenience of their patients.

For years the only way to possibly get an eye prescription was to travel to an ophthalmologist or optometrist’s office for an exam. Once the patient was in the office, they were pressured into purchasing their glasses or contact lenses directly from the optometrist. It was a highly profitable way for the optometrists to have a captive clientele that dutifully came in year after year to give them more money.

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