CHICAGO COMPANY OFFERS EYE EXAMS VIA SMARTPHONE AND COMPUTER FOR $40

A Chicago optometrist has created a digital eye exam that adults can take on their computers and smartphones, My Fox Chicago reported. The test, called Opternative, takes 25 minutes or less and produces a prescription from a registered ophthalmologist within 24 hours. The test costs users $40.

According to OkCopay, an online service that tracks out-of-pocket medical expenses, the national median cost of an eye exam is $85. Opternative co-founder Dr. Steven Lee thought of the idea years ago after one of his patients asked whether an easier eye exam was available.

Lee and his team developed the test over three years, and today it is approved by the FDA. The digital exam is available to patients ages 18 to 40, but individuals with certain pre-existing health conditions are not qualified to take the test.

Opternative aims to emulate a physical eye chart to test for glasses and contact-lenses. Human ophthalmologists can actually diagnose diabetes in the eye, high blood pressure, as well as other systemic and metabolic problems that the patient may not know that they have.