GoKawiilKey Takeaways Matthias Hofmann saw a growing shortage of eye care providers as an opportunity to rethink how routine vision tests are delivered.
After a smartphone vision-testing startup failed to catch on, he realized convenience mattered to people more than the test itself.
Eyebot’s 90-second kiosks aim to make eye exams easier to access while helping retailers address a shortage of optometrists
Getting a vision test can take weeks or even months, depending on where you live. Blame it on a simple supply-and-demand problem. More than 40,000 eye doctor positions were open in the U.S. last year, while the number of people needing vision care continues to grow as the population ages and more screen-watching children develop myopia.
“Customers can’t get a prescription to buy glasses,” says Matthias Hofmann, co-founder and CEO of Eyebot. “They’re waiting three or six months for an appointment. And retailers can’t sell glasses because people don’t have the prescription.”
To solve this impasse, his startup has developed a self-service kiosk that can generate an eyeglass prescription in about 90 seconds. The Eyebot kiosks are now rolling out at select Walmart and Sam’s Club locations as well as vision care retailers across eight states, giving shoppers a chance to update their prescription while stocking up on dog food and paper towels.
Related: When Fit Becomes the Innovation: How One Ophthalmologist Is Redefining Eyewear
Eyebot
Right problem, wrong answer
Hofmann didn’t arrive at Eyebot overnight. He spent more than a decade trying to make vision care more accessible, beginning as an engineer at EyeNetra, one of the first companies to develop smartphone-based vision testing.
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