“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality”−Nikos Kazantzakis
Eyesight is one of our most essential senses; approximately eighty percent of what we see comes through our sense of sight. A company, which is helping the world see better with its digital eye care technologies, is Visibly. Founded in 2012 and based out of the scenic city of Chicago, Visibly is the healthcare technology company whose online vision test allows patients to renew their prescription anywhere, anytime.
Since its inception, the company has issued over hundreds of thousands of prescriptions with a 99.6% satisfaction rate. Visibly also offers eye care providers, eyewear retailers, and other organizations customizable software solutions to enable better patient and consumer experiences.
Visibly’s vision is to create a world where eye care is available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It’s mission to develop digital technologies that increase access and choice while partnering with doctors and retailers to create awesome patient experiences.
The Benevolent Leaders
Visibly was instituted by Dr. Steven Lee, who first came up with the concept of an online vision test while practicing optometry. He had a patient who frequently missed eye appointments and when she finally made it into the office asked him, “Why can’t we just do this at home?” That was his illuminating moment.
Dr. Lee is now the company’s Chief Science Officer (CSO) and provides guidance across many departments including product, sales, marketing, and many others. Another visionary leader that has led the company towards success with Dr. Lee is Brent Rasmussen, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Journey of Visibly
Dr. Lee first came up with the idea of an online vision test in 2009. After which he worked tirelessly for three years seeking guidance from industry experts and discussing how to build a startup. Visibly officially became a company in 2012. The next three years were spent building and testing prototypes to launch what is now known as Visibly’s online vision test. Since then, the company has brought on many partners, such as 1-800 Contacts, expanded internationally, and raised over $18.5M in funding so far.
In 2017, Brent Rasmussen joined the team as CEO to help the company become the ubiquitous leader in the optical telehealth space by partnering with eyewear companies and retailers to provide safe and affordable online vision tests for people worldwide. “This past year, we’ve added dozens of partners to our portfolio and began expanding internationally with a partnership in Mexico,” asserts the CEO. “As far as what’s to come for Visibly, we plan to put the test in front of every person that needs corrective eyewear in order to help ensure they are seeing their best. We’ll do this by continuing to expand our online vision test and by enhancing our solution offerings with additional technologies.”
Distinct Services and Products
Visibly’s online vision test takes about ten minutes to complete and provides patients with a prescription in 24 hours or less. The patient’s test results, medical history, and previous prescription are all reviewed by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist to write the updated vision prescription.
The company also offers solutions for eyewear retailers, eye care providers, and other organizations to help bring vision care to its consumers and patients. These solutions include a fully integrated online vision test experience or one that is hosted on a branded webpage. “If our partners do not have the resources to build an API, we offer the ability to have a pre-built, branded webpage that they can link to from their current website.” says Rasmussen.
Apart from this it also offers an on-site digital vision test to allow partners, like an in-store retailer, an option for consumers to receive a vision prescription before purchasing contacts or glasses in-store. With all of these solutions, partners can decide whether they want Visibly’s network of doctors reviewing the test results or if they’d like to have their own doctors reviewing the results.
In order to stay ahead of the changing trends and innovations in the industry, Visibly is always listening to patients, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and other eye care providers needs and how it can solve them. This helps ensure that the company is creating and providing the best solutions and technology possible to meet the needs of the industry as a whole.
Noticeable Recognitions
Client appreciations are the most important achievements – believes Visibly. Here are a few of the most impactful stories from its patients and partners:
- One of our patients shared with us that they suffered a traumatic brain injury that left them paralyzed. Their eye doctor’s office isn’t wheelchair accessible which made it very difficult for them to receive care. They shared that our online vision test was the only way they could get an updated prescription for new glasses and contacts.
- A retail partner of ours told us that before offering our digital vision test in their store, sales associates would often get frustrated being unable to serve patients when a doctor was not available. Now, the associates are able to help patients get a prescription when a doctor is not on-site and meet their sales goals more frequently.
- We also have a partner who saw a 23% lift in captured canceled orders since offering consumers our online vision test.
The Future Of Visibly
Visibly will continue to keep a close eye on the inevitable changes in technology to ensure it stays ahead of what patients, employers, insurance companies, and doctors will need in the changing environment. Its current online vision test serves patients ages 18-55. In the future, Visibly wants to serve a larger portion of the population so that it can ensure every child who goes to school can see properly and every senior citizen who can’t get to an eye doctor easily can still get access to vision care. The company also plans to expand its technologies to get a better picture of a patient’s overall eye health, not just measure their vision.
