SoloHealth and Kroger stores team up to promote eye health awareness

Nov 19 2009

SoloHealth (www.solo-health.com), maker of EyeSite™ self-service vision testing and self-directed healthcare kiosks, has teamed with Atlanta area Kroger stores to promote eye health awareness and to encourage regular eye exams.

The company announced today that its EyeSite™ kiosks are located in ten Kroger locations across the metro area. The interactive kiosks are free to use and provide consumers with a quick, accurate assessment of near and distance vision. The units also assess risk, provide relevant eye health information and encourage consumers to schedule comprehensive exams with an eye care professional from a list of local providers.

EyeSite kiosks are not a replacement for a regular eye exam. Consumers answer a series of lifestyle questions on a touch screen and are presented with various sized letters to determine near and distance acuity. They then receive a customized report of their results, which they can share directly with an eye doctor.

“Eyes deteriorate so slowly that people often don’t realize their vision is changing,” said Bart Foster, CEO and Founder of SoloHealth. “The EyeSite kiosks are a great way for people to check their vision and get related eye health information. Our goal is to get people to think about their eyes as part of their overall health, and to take the appropriate steps to minimize eye health risks.”

Of the 210,000 people tested using the EyeSite kiosks during Atlanta-based trials in the past year, nearly 25 percent had never had an eye exam. In many cases, this was despite having risk factors such as a family history of eye disease. According to Prevent Blindness Georgia, a non-profit organization, half of all blindness is preventable if eye problems are detected and treated early. For adults, data shows that the number of Americans with age-related eye disease, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease, is expected to double by the year 2030. User-friendly, practical tools like the EyeSite™ kiosk hope to reverse this trend through a self-directed, proactive focus on eye health.

By partnering with Kroger stores, SoloHealth hopes to encourage Atlanta area consumers to take an active role in their eye health in convenient, familiar surroundings. A listing and map of Kroger locations where EyeSite™ kiosks are located can be found by visiting www.solo-health.com/locations.