Smart Vision Labs — SVOne Enterprise is a smartphone-powered vision test device which is similar to iPhone with a typical eyepiece on the top of a tripod. The first product of the company SVOne Pro allows doctors to perform eye exams anywhere. The new product SVOne Enterprise adds a telemedicine element – After the vision test the results are delivered to a remote eye doctor who approves the final prescription. You can then download the prescription to buy your new glasses at any retail shop.
Smart Vision Labs’ device allows stores to keep those customers in-house, so they’ll be more likely to buy a pair of glasses. The company chargers its partners $40 a test, but it’s up to the individual stores to determine pricing for shoppers.
Founder Yaopeng Zhou says he was inspired to create the SVOne Enterprise after realizing there are almost 200 million people in America who need glasses, but only 106 million eye exams take place every year. He also points out there’s only one eye doctor for every 5,000 people in the US. There’s a definite need for a faster way to perform vision tests.
After that, Yaopeng had me read from a fairly standard vision chart on the SVOne Enterprise’s iPhone screen using my glasses. I then placed my right eye in the device’s eyepiece and stared at a red laser as it took three photos. I repeated the same process with my left eye, but it took a few tries and a move to a darkened room for it to make a successful measurement. (Yaopeng noted that my pupils were smaller than most, so we had to dilate them a bit by moving to a dark environment.)
A day after the exam, I received a link to an official prescription from one of the company’s contracted doctors. Surprisingly, they didn’t make any changes to my current prescription, which is hopefully a sign that my terrible vision is stabilizing a bit. I can now take that prescription to an online eyeglass outfit like Warby Parker, or a local store in my neighborhood, to get a new pair of frames. (If you’ve only ever gotten new glasses directly from your doctor, it’s definitely worth exploring the wealth of new options out there.)
In the United States alone, nearly 200 million Americans are in need of vision correction but only 106 million eye exams are performed yearly. On average there is one eye doctor for every 5,000 people. Personalizing telemedicine promotes ownership of one’s own medical data, and with Smart Vision Labs, prescriptions are always accessible with a click of a button.
