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Sightbox aims to make eye exams more convenient
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CHICAGO – Travis Rush, CEO and founder of Sightbox Inc., told attendees here at the American Academy of Optometry meeting that the membership-based contact lens subscription service, “has created a mechanism that reinforces the value of eye health.”
Sightbox was recently acquired by Johnson & Johnson Vision, and Rush spoke at a Johnson & Johnson press conference.
Rush said that Sightbox is an e-commerce system for optometrists to sell contact lenses online. For a monthly fee, the company schedules patients for eye exams and provides the prescribed contact lenses through the mail.
“We see this as a tremendous opportunity to expand the category,” Peter Menziuso, president of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care North America, said at the event.
Rush explained that patients sign up with Sightbox for $39/month, which includes an annual eye exam with any eye doctor and contact lenses for 1 year. He said the doctor decides on the brand and modality, and “we make sure people are getting an eye exam and never run out of lenses and remain compliant.”
Sightbox provides contact lenses from all companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Bausch + Lomb, Alcon and CooperVision, Rush said. He noted that the $39/month fee applies to bi-weekly and monthly lenses, while daily disposables are considered an upgrade at $89/month.
“If they need a special treatment, we’ll step away from that relationship,” he said.
Rush said that once doctors understand how the system works, “they’re OK with it. We tell them, ‘We have a new patient for you and will pay you your cash pay rate for the exam that same day.’ Yes, the doctor loses the contact lens income, but the patient will be sent back to them every year.”
Rush said Sightbox is creating a network of doctors. The company will find the 20 doctors closest to the patient, check for availability and schedule the appointment for the exam.
Sightbox has 9,300 patient-members, 27% of whom are new lens wearers or returning wearers, and the majority of whom do not have vision insurance.
“We’ve sent patients into 7,000 OD practices over the last 2 years,” he said. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO
Disclosures: Menziuso is president of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care North America. Rush is CEO and founder of Sightbox.