WOONSOCKET, R.I.—Noting the risk of vision loss from retina diseases, CVS Health officials have acknowledged the ongoing pilot test of a retina care service at a CVS drugstore in Tampa, Fla. It is believed to be a first-of-its-kind service within a drugstore location. The provider of the retina care service is Network Eye Inc., a company founded in 2019 to “bring this critical retina care to all—augmenting the traditional retina care pathways, and providing much-needed care to the millions not getting it today,” according to the company’s website.

“We’re pleased to be working with specialty retina care provider, Network Eye Inc., on a pilot program to help increase access to specialty retina care services,” a CVS Pharmacy spokeswoman told VMAIL on Thursday. “Since early January, a Network Eye clinic adjacent to the HealthHUB in our CVS Pharmacy store on West Linebaugh Avenue has been offering diabetic retinopathy screening and follow-up, as well as physician-delivered retina treatment for both diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Patients can visit www.networkeyecare.com or call (877) DOC-EYES for more information,” she added.
 
The new retina care service brings together AI-enabled retina screening technology, the emerging retailer health care infrastructure and on-demand/mobile capabilities.
 

Photo via Google Maps
CVS operated 52 optical centers within its 8,000 drugstore / pharmacy locations as of mid-2021, as reported in the Vision Monday Top 50 Optical Retailers’ report.
 
Steven Wisch, a co-founder of Network Eye, was contacted by VMAIL, but he did not provide a comment by VMAIL’s press time on Thursday.
 
Wisch told the Tampa ABC affiliate WFTS, which was first to report the story, that often people wait until it’s too late to have a retina screening. “So what we've tried to do between our clinic at CVS, and also our mobile unit is to become much more accessible and friendly to go into communities to educate people to let them know why you need an eye exam. And if you have the take the exam, and you have pathology for diabetic retinopathy, why it's important to get treated on an ongoing basis, so you can prevent the onset of blindness.”
 
The CVS spokeswoman noted that more than 20 million Americans are at risk of losing their vision from retina diseases. “This affects two fast-growing patient groups: people over the age of 60 and people with diabetes,” she added.
 
“Forty percent of diabetes patients do not get their annual diabetic retinopathy (DR) exam and 50 percent of those patients do not receive the treatment recommended by their doctor. By offering convenient access to specialized retina care in a HealthHUB location, we believe that more patients will be screened annually and will receive follow-up treatment, if required, leading to healthier outcomes,” she said.
 
The Network Eye exams are straightforward and results are reportedly available in less than five minutes.
 
On its website, Network Eye noted that it has set out to “improve patient access and provide the best quality retina care across our communities, while reducing the cost of this care.” It also hopes to expand its new retina care model “with our partners in the coming months.”
 
The company added, “We have brought to market a unique approach which combines approved AI-enabled retina screening technology, the emerging retailer health care infrastructure, on-demand/mobile capabilities, and top retina specialists spanning 20 metropolitan areas across the U.S. The first of our vertically integrated care retina offerings recently launched in Tampa, Florida, and we look forward to expanding this unique capability with our partners in the coming months and years.
 
Co-founder Wisch has 35 years of executive management experience as an investor, C-suite executive and advisor to Fortune 500 companies. He is the former chairman and a current director of Channel Control Merchants, a deep discount retailer operating 130 retail locations under four brands. The group was acquired by KKR, beginning with an initial investment in 2015. A former Goldman Sachs Partner where he ran businesses around the world, Wisch currently serves on numerous boards and holds degrees from Stanford and Harvard Business School.
 
Dr. David Eichenbaum, a partner and director of research for Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida, is Network Eye’s co-chief medical officer. A Tampa native, he is also a consultant to industry-leading companies in the retina space.