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WOONSOCKET, R.I.—CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, is moving more aggressively into the optical business with an announcement Tuesday that it is now  offering a telehealth contact lens renewal tool via its website across more than 30 states. The drugstore chain announced the launch of QuickRenew, an online contact lens prescription renewal tool powered by technology from Premium Vision. (Premium Vision is one of 1-800 Contacts’ portfolio companies, along with Liingo Eyewear and others.)

Premium Vision telehealth technology is currently available on the CVS Optical website. It enables customers to renew their prescription in minutes with an independent ophthalmologist and order contact lenses to be shipped to their home, the announcement noted. (CVS Optical lists on its site almost 50 locations within CVS drugstores where it operates.)

The QuickRenew online prescription renewal service is currently available in 32 states, where permitted, according to the announcement. Patients must be between the ages of 18 and 55, have been fitted for contact lenses in the past, have had a full eye exam within the last four years and have a healthy eye history.

In addition to QuickRenew, CVS Optical has also launched a new online glasses site that provides customers the ability to order glasses in a variety of trendy and classic styles starting at just $79, and a single-vision prescription comes at no extra cost. Each pair of glasses includes premium polycarbonate lenses that provide UV and scratch protection, and lenses can be upgraded to include blue light filtering to reduce eye strain and fatigue from digital devices.

"We continue to adapt and evolve our digital offerings in response to the pandemic,” Michele Driscoll, vice president of customer engagement, ExtraCare, digital and promotion for CVS Health, said in the announcement. “This addition to our optical site gives customers a new way to fulfill an important health care need safely and confidently from the comfort of their homes.”

Scott Osmond, vice president of Premium Vision, said the firm has more than 25 years of experience in the vision industry, and is “taking another meaningful step for our brand, our partners and most importantly for consumers” with this CVS partnership. "By leveraging our unique expertise combined with advanced technology, we're creating new solutions to help consumers get the vision care and correction they need from anywhere," Osmond said.

Driscoll added, “This is especially important at a time when customers are trying to limit their interactions or are finding it difficult to schedule time with an optometrist. Digital screening takes less than 15 to 20 minutes, and information is reviewed by a licensed independent ophthalmologist."

Click here to read about the reaction from the American Optometric Association and ECPs to CVS Health’s prescription renewal platform.