CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Opternative, the world’s first online eye exam service, is now available to provide consumers with a convenient and affordable physician-issued prescription for glasses or contacts. By using a computer and smartphone, consumers can take a 25-minute or less eye exam from the comfort of home and receive a prescription within 24 hours to use at any online or neighborhood optical retailer.
Opternative exams cost $40 for a prescription for glasses or contacts and $60 for both. Prescriptions are issued and signed by an ophthalmologist licensed in the patient’s state. There are no additional fees.
A recent physician-led clinical trial found strong correlation between Opternative’s eye exam software and traditional in-office refractive eye exams, delivering statistically equivalent patient satisfaction and visual acuity with the resulting prescription. Learn more about Opternative’s clinical trial here. More than 1,500 patients have been evaluated using the Opternative eye exam, and the service is currently available in 27 states covering 75 percent of the U.S. 18-40 year old population, with more expected soon.
“As a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) registered software technology, the Opternative eye exam uses a set of vision tests and algorithms to provide clinical decision support to ophthalmologists who determine the appropriate diagnosis and issue the right prescription for each patient,” said Dr. Steven Lee, optometrist and co-founder of Opternative.
Using Opternative is simple and efficient. First, a patient signs up at Opternative.com. Next, a series of written and audio instructions walk the patient through several multiple choice vision tests presented on his or her computer screen. The patient uses a smartphone to record answers.
Once the online exam is completed, a licensed ophthalmologist evaluates the patient’s results, health information and medical history, including past vision exam records, all while engaging the patient in a standard manner. Then, if clinically appropriate, the ophthalmologist issues a prescription that is delivered to the patient or the patient’s designated eyewear provider through Opternative’s secure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant platform.
Of the U.S. adult population (242.7 million, Dec. 2013), just over three-fourths use some form of vision correction, according to VisionWatch, a research study conducted by The Vision Council. More than 12.8 million adults admit they need vision correction but do nothing about it. The same research found that 67 million adults have not had an eye exam within the last two years, due to convenience and cost issues.1
“Our technology and team of ophthalmologists make eye exams convenient and affordable while providing consumers a choice of where and when they want to receive eye exam services,” said Aaron Dallek, Opternative’s chief executive officer and co-founder.
Currently, Opternative’s online eye exam is available for adults between 18 and 40 years old. While the Opternative ophthalmologists are able to provide patients with a prescription quickly and conveniently, Opternative’s services are not a replacement for a comprehensive eye health exam. Opternative ophthalmologists recommend that all patients receive an eye health exam at least once every two years. Opternative will not allow patients to use its prescription services more than four consecutive times within a five-year period without first receiving an eye health exam, in accordance with the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s recommendations (AAO)2. Patients with certain symptoms or medical conditions will be prevented from taking the Opternative exam, or be encouraged to get a full eye health exam more frequently.
For more information or to sign up for an online eye exam, visit Opternative.com.
The Opternative eye exam is available in 27 states, covering 75 percent of the 18-40 year old population, with more expected soon. The available states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
About Opternative
Opternative Inc., a Chicago based healthcare technology company founded in 2012, has launched the world’s first online refractive eye exam that delivers a physician-issued prescription for glasses or contact lenses. The Opternative eye exam is interactive and follows the same subjective principles applied in an eye care professional’s office where patients are asked to respond to a series of questions based on images presented to them. The software uses a series of vision tests, algorithms and patient medical history to provide ophthalmologists with a clinical decision support tool that enables them to diagnose patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, emmetropia and to prescribe glasses or contacts when appropriate. With a mission to help the world see and feel better, the Opternative eye exam will make vision screening and prescription services accessible and affordable to everyone.
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1. Vision Correction Usage Study for the Vision Care Market. Source: VisionWatch, the large scale continuous research study conducted by The Vision Council.
2. http://www.aao.org/preferred-practice-pattern/comprehensive-adult-medical-eye-evaluation--octobe
http://www.aao.org/asset.axd?id=99cafd38-c835-4280-a187-df63968cf6b6
