NEW YORK—Ocular telehealth kicked into high gear this spring as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the nation. More eye doctors and optical retailers than ever acknowledged that they are now using telehealth to deliver virtual vision care, including many first-time users seeking to connect with patients who had been in lockdown. In its June issue, Vision Monday takes a closer look at the telehealth phenomenon and asked industry leaders to discuss the ways in which telehealth will continue to influence the delivery of eyecare, both currently and in the future. Read the full story here. 

What VM editors discovered in this comprehensive report is that the virtual vision care field is getting crowded, with a growing number of companies offering a wide range of services and patient experiences. These services include direct-to-consumer, online eye tests for prescription renewal, comprehensive eye exams conducted in-office by technicians and supervised remotely by eye doctors, remote doctor-patient consultations via mobile app and smartphone-powered self-examinations and more.

The emergence of these very different forms of ocular telehealth has created a robust but increasingly segmented market.

On the provider side, as lockdowns shut down eyecare practices and optical retail stores throughout the country, large numbers of practitioners turned to telehealth solutions to keep in touch with patients. Unable to perform comprehensive eye exams, most relied on remote video consultations to monitor and triage patients.

To better understand the ocular telehealth boom and how it is impacting vision care, for this megatrend we interviewed ECPs, retailers, vendors, payors and reimbursement experts. This in-depth special report details what we learned about this vital, multifaceted segment of the vision care industry and the increasingly important role it will surely play in the future.