 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telemedicine |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Steven Lee (optometrist) Aaron Dallek |
| Headquarters | Chicago, IL |
Area served | North America |
Key people | Brent Rasmussen (CEO) |
| Services | Online Refraction |
| Website | govisibly |
Visibly, formerly known as Opternative, is a telehealth Chicago-based company which provides on-line vision tests and generates eyeglasses and contact lens prescriptions.
Visibly provides on-line vision tests and generates eyeglasses and contact lens prescriptions for site visitors, delivering these results via email within one day of the completion of the exam. The results of the exam are reviewed by an optometrist, are considered valid prescriptions, and may be used for ordering glasses or contacts over the Internet or in person at an eyeglass retailer. The company itself does not sell any visual aids, and derives its income from the fees it charges for the exams. [1]
The company as founded as Opternative in 2012 and its online vision test was launched in 2015. [2] In November 2018, the company raised $9 million [3] and changed its name from Opternative to Visibly the following month. [4]
As of 2019 [update] , 39 US states allow optometrists to issue prescriptions over the Internet. [5] Some states, however, have attempted to ban the company from doing business. In 2016, for example, the state of Indiana passed a law prohibiting the use of on-line eye exams for the issuance of eyeglasses prescriptions for the production of any "ophthalmic device". [5] Visibly filed suit against the state in April 2019, claiming that the incorporation of ophthalmic devices in the telehealth ban— which also included abortion drugs and opioids — was the result of pressure from optometrists and the eyeglasses' industry rather than concern for public health, and was being used unfairly, listing the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and the state Director of the Consumer Protection Division, Betsy Dinardi, as defendants. [5]
In May 2019, after heavy pressure from the American Optometric Association (AOA), the on-line vision test had been recalled by the company, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Association (FDA). [6]
In April 2020, in response to the Coronavirus outbreak, the FDA issued guidance [7] to expand the capability of remote ophthalmic assessment, and to facilitate patient care during the pandemic. Visibly announced it will globally provide optometrists, ophthalmologists, and optical service providers free access to its virtual vision test technology, to help patients meet their eye health needs during the pandemic. [8]
In August 2022, Visibly received the FDA 510(k) clearance for its mobile-based vision test [9] preferably to provide prescription renewals to people between 22 and 40. [2] Visibly became the first FDA-cleared online vision test in the United States. [10]
The United States Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed and veterinary products.
A corrective lens is a transmissive optical device that is worn on the eye to improve visual perception. The most common use is to treat refractive errors: myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Glasses or "spectacles" are worn on the face a short distance in front of the eye. Contact lenses are worn directly on the surface of the eye. Intraocular lenses are surgically implanted most commonly after cataract removal but can be used for purely refractive purposes.
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses and spectacles, are vision eyewear with clear or tinted lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms, known as temples or temple pieces, that rest over the ears.
Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2010, the worldwide market for contact lenses was estimated at $6.1 billion, while the US soft lens market was estimated at $2.1 billion. Multiple analysts estimated that the global market for contact lenses would reach $11.7 billion by 2015. As of 2010, the average age of contact lens wearers globally was 31 years old, and two-thirds of wearers were female.
Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive eye care.
An optician is an individual who fits eyeglasses or contact lenses by filling a refractive prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They are able to translate and adapt ophthalmic prescriptions, dispense products, and work with accessories. There are several specialties within the field.
Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. Telemedicine is sometimes used as a synonym, or is used in a more limited sense to describe remote clinical services, such as diagnosis and monitoring. When rural settings, lack of transport, a lack of mobility, conditions due to outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, decreased funding, or a lack of staff restrict access to care, telehealth may bridge the gap as well as provide distance-learning; meetings, supervision, and presentations between practitioners; online information and health data management and healthcare system integration. Telehealth could include two clinicians discussing a case over video conference; a robotic surgery occurring through remote access; physical therapy done via digital monitoring instruments, live feed and application combinations; tests being forwarded between facilities for interpretation by a higher specialist; home monitoring through continuous sending of patient health data; client to practitioner online conference; or even videophone interpretation during a consult.
An autorefractor or automated refractor is a computer-controlled machine used during an eye examination to provide an objective measurement of a person's refractive error and prescription for glasses or contact lenses. This is achieved by measuring how light is changed as it enters a person's eye.
Essilor International is an international ophthalmic optics company that designs, manufactures and markets lenses to correct or protect eyesight. Its headquarters is in Charenton-le-Pont, France.
An eye care professional is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.
Pupillary distance (PD), more correctly known as interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance in millimeters between the centers of each pupil.
Dilated fundus examination (DFE) is a diagnostic procedure that uses mydriatic eye drops to dilate or enlarge the pupil in order to obtain a better view of the fundus of the eye. Once the pupil is dilated, examiners use ophthalmoscopy to view the eye's interior, which makes it easier to assess the retina, optic nerve head, blood vessels, and other important features. DFE has been found to be a more effective method for evaluating eye health when compared to non-dilated examination, and is the best method of evaluating structures behind the iris. It is frequently performed by ophthalmologists and optometrists as part of an eye examination.
Adjustable focus eyeglasses are eyeglasses with an adjustable focal length. They compensate for refractive errors by providing variable focusing, allowing users to adjust them for desired distance or prescription, or both.
A circle contact lens, also known as a big eye contact lens and circle lens, is a cosmetic contact lens that makes the eye's iris appear larger. It has become a trend throughout East, South and Southeast Asia and is largely produced in Japan, South Korea and China.
Alimera Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical sales company based in Alpharetta, Georgia that specializes in the commercialization and sales of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. The company's main selling focus is on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina. The company is the licensee for Iluvien, a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant.
The Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) is an Australian nonprofit non-governmental organization with an international focus on eye care research and vision care delivery. Formerly the Institute for Eye Research, in 2010, it was renamed in recognition of co-founder and optometrist Professor Brien Holden OAM, a 1997 recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contributions to eye care research.
Eye care in the United Kingdom is available through the National Health Service. Eye care in the community is almost entirely provided by optometrists in private practice. Specialist NHS services are provided from a small number of eye hospitals, and their staff often run clinics in general hospitals in their region.
Dean Evan Hart, O.D., M.A., M.S., B.S., A.A.S., F.A.A.O. is an American scientist, clinical optometrist, professor, and the founder of Woodbury Ophthalmic Group and Woodbury Optical Studio. Dean ran for Nassau County Legislature in 2015. He was a candidate for the New York State Assembly in the 15th Assembly District of the 2016 election. Hart also ran for town office in 2017.
Ro is an American telehealth company that diagnoses patients, and subsequently prescribes and delivers treatments. The company is headquartered in New York City.