Wise elders have been preaching to children for centuries, "Eat your carrots! They are good for your eyes." Although many "words of wisdom" passed down from our elders may not have any scientific merit, that one certainly does. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A, which is good for eye health, but getting regular eye exams is even more important than eating carrots. Eye exams are key for early diagnosis of disorders, and yet, the World Health Organization reports that more than one billion individuals worldwide experience significant vision impairment due to inadequate access to proper eye care services.
EyeQue, inspired by the late Zenni founder Tibor Laczay and led by CEO John A. Serri along with his strong and innovative leadership team, including COO Nicole Skibinski, CTO Noam Sapiens, CFO Kathy Chueh, among others, are dedicated to changing the statistics and democratizing vision care worldwide. Skibinski shares, "There is a lack of accessibility due to doctor shortages and medical deserts here in the US and more so around the world. There are health equity gaps in many communities. Other challenges are affordability, lack of insurance coverage, and long commutes to the doctor's office, not to mention transportation concerns and the situation of those who live alone. Our products and services help to bridge these gaps with remote screening and monitoring."
EyeQue was founded in 2015 with Laczay's idea of creating a refraction measurement tool that anyone could use at home simply by attaching it to their smartphone. Serri shares, "We started the company to build a simple, inexpensive and compact device that could be manufactured for a few dollars." What came out of the initial effort was the PERSONAL VISION TRACKER (PVT), and it is still in use today. While EyeQue over the years received critical acclaim at the consumer electronics show, on social media, and through crowdsourcing campaigns and sold like hotcakes online, Serri recognized the challenges of scaling a direct-to-consumer model. EyeQue has pivoted towards a business-to-business approach, targeting digital health providers with its variety of products.
Today, EyeQue addresses the pressing issue of accessibility in vision care by providing remote monitoring capabilities. This innovative approach ensures that individuals, regardless of their geographical location, can access essential vision care services. Moreover, EyeQue's platform bridges the gap between patients and healthcare providers to conduct screenings and validate prescriptions at health fairs, community events, corporate wellness programs, schools, universities, mobile healthcare clinics, and, ultimately, wherever possible.
Primary eye care providers who are active in giving grass root level vision care service can utilize EyeQue's digital product suite for patrons with issues like broken or lost glasses or who are in need of additional contacts. Having the ability to screen and validate a person's visual acuity saves time and costs for optometrists and patrons. Eyeque's products also help identify if and when an in-office comprehensive eye exam is needed.
EyeQue's product lineup is impressive and includes digital eye health diagnostic devices and an AI-based HIPAA telehealth platform. The EyeQue Connect telehealth platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, including secure data storage, analysis, and sharing, which cater to the evolving needs of providers.
EyeQue vision screening devices, Insight Lite, Insight, and Insight Pro, offer a comprehensive range of vision tests. Designed to mimic a controlled testing environment, these devices ensure precision and consistency in vision assessments. The tests include visual acuity, color deficiency, contrast sensitivity, and central retinal vision assessment, providing users with valuable insight into patient eye health. EyeQue's devices also boast a user-friendly interface that runs on a cloud-based platform that facilitates seamless connectivity and data sharing. All of EyeQue's devices are classified as Class I exempt devices by the FDA, making them readily available for over-the-counter purchase and distribution.
Skibinski adds, "Our devices aid in identifying certain types of eye and/or systemic diseases. Should there already be a diagnosed eye or systemic disease, monitoring vision allows professionals to watch progression or measure the effectiveness of a treatment plan. EyeQue empowers users to understand if it is time to reach out to a doctor and go in for a comprehensive examination."
Furthermore, EyeQue's telehealth system enables virtual consultations between patients and doctors, enhancing accessibility and convenience for users. As one such customer noted, "Thank you for making it painless, pleasant and most of all, hassle free."
Unlike online visual acuity tests, EyeQue's devices offer a controlled testing environment, ensuring precise and accurate measurements. The Insight Lite is basically an optical device that connects to a smartphone screen. The optics inside allow you to see the image on the smartphone as if it came from 20 feet away, mimicking a realistic in-office test but basically saving a lot of space while controlling the environment and providing all the necessary conditions to do a proper eye test.
Dr. Noam Sapiens, CTO, explains further, "And the tests inside are built based on well-established standards such as the ETDRS standard for visual acuity. As for color vision, we follow the principle of the Ishihara test, and on the contrast sensitivity, we follow a test similar to the tried and true Peli Robson test. EyeQue Connect enables patients and providers to connect through telehealth." EyeQue partners with various organizations in the wellness, nutraceutical space, and the optical industry. Serri shares, "We have partnerships with Digital Health Providers (DHP) that serve the employees of multinational corporations. With our devices and telehealth platform, DHPs are able to screen 50 to 60 persons in a few hours, giving employees access to free vision care, and perhaps they never thought that they needed to go see an eye doctor." Through these collaborations with DHPs, employers, and opticals, EyeQue has been able to achieve its original mission of improving accessibility. Along the way, the partnerships are helping them improve EyeQue. "Through these partnerships, we have been able to enhance our platform, and provide additional capabilities requested by these partners and to make a truly effective system that is positively changing eyecare," Sapiens asserts proudly.
While consuming carrots is still recommended for healthy eyes, with EyeQue, you can gauge how well those carrots and eyes are working. With innovative technology, EyeQue is leading the charge in eye health and accessibility. EyeQue has 125,000+ registered users and has sold over 75,000 devices across 168 countries. The company is on track to revolutionize eye care, fuel growing market adoption, and ultimately, "change the world, one pair of eyes at a time."
Interested in EyeQue's vision (no pun intended)? Check them out today.
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