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Essilor launches app to encourage patients to book an eye examination
The My Vision Check app intends to provide a “gentle reminder and prompt” for anyone overdue a sight test and signposts users to their local practice
3 min read
Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
13 July 2021
Essilor has launched a new at-home screening app which aims to drive members of the public to book an eye examination with their local independent practice.
The My Vision Check app allows users to conduct a simple eye screening at home before signposting them to contact their local practice for a full eye examination. The company suggested the tool could be a “great first step” for patients who may have “neglected their eyes” over the past year and are overdue an appointment.
Tim Precious, managing director at Essilor, suggested that many people have noticed the importance of good vision while spending more time at home or on screens, adding: “My Vision Check will help drive these consumers back into practice for an eye examination.”
He suggested the free resource can help to educate consumers on the importance of looking after their eyes, and also help eye care practitioners (ECPs) to attract the public into practice to “start, or resume, their eye care journey.”
“We have ensured that users would not confuse it for a full eye examination so before the check begins and regardless of the result, it is made clear that the check has no diagnostic value,” he continued.
The app also asks when the individual last had their vision checked by an optometrist, in order to deliver the best recommendation and steering them onto Essilor’s practice finder.
The process takes less than ten minutes and checks if the user can detect Landolt ring optotypes corresponding to 20/20 visual acuity at a far distance, while wearing their usual optical correction if they use one.
The user is then given a test score and summary, encouraging them to book an appointment for a comprehensive examination at their local practice.
To ensure users are encouraged to book an appointment at their practice, the app states that it is not performing a full eye examination and advises users to consult their ECP, also stating that “only a qualified ECP can carry out a complete eye examination to detect any potential vision problems.”
Once completed, users can click to ‘book an appointment’ and are taken to the Essilor consumer site where they can find local independent practices. They can then fill in a ‘request for an appointment’ form for the practice to contact them and arrange an appointment.
Precious concluded: “The app fully supports our drive to store digital activity and allows us to get new users into our customer’s practices for a full eye examination.”
Essilor
Tim Precious, managing director at Essilor, suggested that many people have noticed the importance of good vision while spending more time at home or on screens, adding: “My Vision Check will help drive these consumers back into practice for an eye examination.”
He suggested the free resource can help to educate consumers on the importance of looking after their eyes, and also help eye care practitioners (ECPs) to attract the public into practice to “start, or resume, their eye care journey.”
The aim
Precious told OT: “Our key objective is to direct the public for a full eye exam, and this has been robustly built into the app. The check is a gentle reminder and prompt for anyone who is overdue an eye examination.”“We have ensured that users would not confuse it for a full eye examination so before the check begins and regardless of the result, it is made clear that the check has no diagnostic value,” he continued.
The app also asks when the individual last had their vision checked by an optometrist, in order to deliver the best recommendation and steering them onto Essilor’s practice finder.
How does it work?
Using a smartphone and mirror, the app takes the user through a series of questions regarding their vision and proposes a test to check distance vision.The process takes less than ten minutes and checks if the user can detect Landolt ring optotypes corresponding to 20/20 visual acuity at a far distance, while wearing their usual optical correction if they use one.
The user is then given a test score and summary, encouraging them to book an appointment for a comprehensive examination at their local practice.
To ensure users are encouraged to book an appointment at their practice, the app states that it is not performing a full eye examination and advises users to consult their ECP, also stating that “only a qualified ECP can carry out a complete eye examination to detect any potential vision problems.”
Once completed, users can click to ‘book an appointment’ and are taken to the Essilor consumer site where they can find local independent practices. They can then fill in a ‘request for an appointment’ form for the practice to contact them and arrange an appointment.
Precious concluded: “The app fully supports our drive to store digital activity and allows us to get new users into our customer’s practices for a full eye examination.”
Behind the scenes: developing My Vision Check
Describing the reasoning behind the development of the app, Precious told OT: “Research and development studies from mature to emerging countries show that consumer awareness of ametropia remains very low. This leads to incorrect beliefs about visual health issues and low engagement in vision care.”
With the global trend for digital solutions in healthcare accelerating during the pandemic, Essilor’s team began developing the app to help encourage members of the public to book a full eye test.
Precious added: “We must continue to support independent ECPs in ever-smarter ways and the app is our latest innovative push to drive patients to book an eye examination.”
With the global trend for digital solutions in healthcare accelerating during the pandemic, Essilor’s team began developing the app to help encourage members of the public to book a full eye test.
Precious added: “We must continue to support independent ECPs in ever-smarter ways and the app is our latest innovative push to drive patients to book an eye examination.”
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