Heightened Awareness Around Eye Health Ushers in More Remote Tech-Based Interventions

The past few years have seen a surge in eye diseases across the US. More than 120 million Americans now have some degree of eye disease or visual impairment. This includes several serious conditions that can even lead to vision loss, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In fact, by 2050, AMD is expected to be so prevalent that up to domestic patients with this will number close to three million.

In light of this, private and public eye care entities have pushed for the development and introduction of more timely interventions. Amid the rapid digitalization that has been rolling out since 2020, this includes the release of several remote tech-based solutions that aim to bridge certain healthcare gaps and patient concerns.

These solutions are contributing to the expansion of the teleophthalmology market, which covers the remote screening, diagnosis, consultation, and monitoring of eye-related conditions through digital communication as well as imaging technologies.

The teleophthalmology market is estimated to be valued at USD 2.19 Bn in 2026 and is expected to reach USD 6.56 Bn by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 17.00% from the years 2026 to 2033. This growth is being driven by the rising prevalence of eye diseases, increasing demand for early diagnosis, limited access to ophthalmologists in underserved areas, an aging population, and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence and remote imaging technologies.

The market spans real-time consultation, store-and-forward services, remote monitoring, and other virtual care models delivered through web-based, AI-based, and cloud-based solutions.

Below are a few of the aforementioned efforts:

App-based measurement tools

Considering the earlier cited prevalence of ocular problems, it makes sense that millions of Americans require medical devices to correct their vision. The most popular of these are prescription glasses, which over 166 million people are estimated to use regularly. This is why many eye care providers now offer eyeglasses online to reach a wider pool of users. To make this process even more accurate and efficient, retailers like LensCrafters have gone a step further by providing patients with the means to procure necessary eye measurements.

Specifically, the consumers can now use the Opthy app to measure their pupillary distance using their preferred device. Through this, the patients can remotely measure the distance between the center of one pupil and the other. This is the first step in ensuring a personalized and true fit when purchasing eyewear. Without this, patients may experience issues like eye strain or blurred vision, even with glasses. Normally, these can be done manually or by a doctor, but measuring it with an app, provides a faster and more foolproof method that enhances consumer satisfaction.

Building on these relatively simple measurement capabilities, app-based eye care is increasingly expanding into more advanced AI-enabled screening. AI-based solutions account for 22.6% of the market and can analyze eye images, detect potential abnormalities, and prioritize individuals who may require specialist evaluation. These tools are particularly valuable when healthcare providers need to screen large patient populations with limited clinical resources. While they do not replace a doctor’s diagnosis, they can accelerate preliminary screening and support earlier intervention for high-risk patients.

Online prescription renewals

Since medical devices for vision are subject to change, given the sensitive nature of the eyes, many patients find themselves having to come in for regularly updated prescriptions. However, this can be very costly across limited resources, like time, money, and energy. In many cases, this leads patients just to make do with their old and potentially outdated prescriptions. In the long run, though, this can be dangerous, especially among contact lens users, who number over 40 million in the US. After all, because this sits right on the eye, ill-fitting prescriptions can cause discomfort and even irritation.

To remedy this, some retailers now provide online prescription renewals. For instance, Warby Parker offers a digital vision test that can gauge if there are any changes in a person’s eyes. While this is not an alternative to a traditional eye exam, it can accurately determine if a person’s current prescription is still effective. Done over the course of about five minutes, patients will be asked to read off a chart using their existing specs or contacts. The results of these are then sent to a doctor, who will determine if the prescription needs changing or not. If they do not, patients are given the option to automatically renew their prescriptions remotely. This allows them to make more customized eyewear purchases from any medium they choose.

By allowing the doctors to review changes without requiring another clinic visit, the online prescription services are also supporting the remote monitoring segment, which is expected to account for 18.2% of the market in 2026. Its growth is being driven by demand for regular vision checks, ongoing management of chronic eye conditions, and more convenient follow-up care for patients.

Off-site doctor consultations

One of the most significant challenges in the US healthcare landscape is the shortage of eye doctors. In fact, ophthalmology’s workforce inadequacy in terms of having enough talent is expected to rise to 36% in the next decade. Even by 2030, only around 500 new ophthalmologists per year are expected to join the field. This shortage is particularly challenging for rural as well as underserved communities, where the patients may need to travel considerable distances to obtain specialist care.

Against this backdrop, teleophthalmology is emerging as a practical way to extend eye care beyond traditional clinical settings. The country’s established telehealth infrastructure, high digital adoption, and growing need for diabetic eye screening and age-related eye care are encouraging hospitals, eye clinics, optical retailers, primary care networks, and community health programs to adopt remote care solutions. However, the pace of adoption will continue to depend on reimbursement policies, state-level practice requirements, clinical validation, patient privacy protections, and the ability of remote platforms to integrate with existing healthcare systems.

While tech cannot help swell the ranks of these doctors, it is making waves in ensuring that underserved communities are not left out. Using telehealth platforms and AI innovations, companies like GlobeChek can conduct eye screenings even without an on-site doctor. Using computers and testing devices that can study and then record a patient’s ocular state, they can collate these results and send them to a doctor in a timely manner. With this, a single doctor can service a wider population, and patients with progressive diseases like diabetic retinopathy are not at the mercy of simply not having a healthcare worker near them. 

Together, these developments illustrate how different companies are supporting various stages of the remote eye care journey. LensCrafters enables app-based eyewear measurements, Warby Parker connects digital vision testing with prescription renewals, and GlobeChek supports remote screening and professional evaluation.

As the market evolves, these services are likely to become more closely integrated through AI-assisted screening, secure cloud-based platforms, and continuous remote monitoring. Although these solutions cannot replace comprehensive eye examinations, they can facilitate the earlier intervention, improve the access to care, and allow the eye care professionals to serve larger patient populations more efficiently.