Access to affordable vision care is incredibly important for Americans. Tens of millions of our citizens struggle with vision problems, and as the population ages, the problem will likely get worse.
In recent years, telehealth vision services, including the ability to buy contact lenses online, have liberated the marketplace and increased access to vision care. However, there remain strong protectionist currents in the industry that could undermine the growth of ocular telehealth in coming years.
Telehealth increases access to eye care for distinct populations, too. Americans who cannot take time off to visit a traditional nine-to-five doctor’s office can use the Internet to buy their contact lenses, as can elderly or rural Americans who have limited mobility or are not located near brick-and-mortar vision centers.
Government-administered health programs like Medicaid and Medicare can also reduce the cost to taxpayers through telehealth. Since telehealth entities often have lower overhead than their brick-and-mortar counterparts, the resulting affordability could reduce public expenditures on eye care. This is especially important as the federal government looks for solutions to the impending Medicare crisis.
