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Opternative launches online refraction service
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Opternative announced Monday that its online refractive eye exam service that provides users with prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses has been launched in 27 states.
The exam consists of a user taking vision tests on their own computer screen and recording answers on their smartphone, which takes about 25 minutes, Opternative said in a press release. Users receive their prescription, which is both issued and signed by an ophthalmologist in the user's state, within 24 hours.
The exam is currently available to people between the ages of 18 and 40 years and costs $40 for one prescription or $60 for both a glasses and contact lenses prescription. The company said it expects to expand into more states in the near future.
“As a 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,” Steven Lee, OD, co-founder of Opternative, said in the release.
Opternative stated that the exams are not a replacement for a comprehensive eye exam and that the company has put safeguards into place such as refusing tests to users with specific symptoms.
The American Optometric Association took a stand against remotely and patient-administered eye exams at Optometry's Meeting in June.
The AOA House of Delegates passed a resolution that stated, "The optimal delivery of comprehensive eye health and vision care requires an in-person examination." The AOA has previously warned that the exam could put patients at significant risk.