Telemedicine continues to grow at a rapid pace; Fortune Business Insights projects it to grow to $286.2 billion by 2030, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.3%.
In eyecare, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated consumer knowledge and adoption of telemedicine. According to a Modern Optometry article, prior to the pandemic, fewer than 25% of eyecare patients were aware telemedicine was an option. During the pandemic, leading eyecare telemedicine platforms enjoyed outsized growth ranging from 257%-700% in virtual visits.
EyeQue Brings Vision Testing into the Home
EyeQue develops at-home vision testing tools to help people maintain their vision. EyeQue VisionCheck is a compact device that combines the capabilities of a phoropter and autorefractor, the two devices eyecare professionals rely on primarily to determine prescriptions. During the test, two lines (red and green) are projected onto the retina, and the user overlaps them to create a solid yellow line. The device calculates how far the lines were moved based on what the user sees. The device is easy to use and understand, and the prescription it provides results in glasses that provide improved vision.
EyeQue IQ Insight uses a smartphone app in conjunction with a physical device that attaches to the phone. The app displays vision tests, and based on the user’s responses, it calculates their visual acuity. The test results are shown in a format commonly used to describe visual acuity, such as 20/30, i.e., the user can see at 20 feet what someone with normal vision can see at 30 feet. The IQ Insight can also screen for color and contrast.
EyeQue enjoyed steady adoption of its products by consumers, which accelerated during the pandemic. However, EyeQue management realized the real opportunity for ongoing, sustained growth lay with developing a sales pipeline into the eyecare professional community – optometrists and ophthalmologists – enabling them to sell hundreds or thousands of devices at a time versus one at a time to consumers.
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Page views up 19% for the consumer site, up 89% for the professional site
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Average time on page up 22% for the consumer site, up 95% for the professional site
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Average session duration up 24% for the consumer site, up 92% for the professional site
We Recommended an Entirely New Website Structure
EyeQue engaged UPRAISE to create a new website as the first step of this shift in focus. UPRAISE recommended a dual structure for the new website, with one area devoted exclusively to eyecare professionals and the other an upgrade to the existing website, which focused on consumers. For graphic continuity, UPRAISE adapted EyeQue’s existing color palette and graphic standards to the new area of the site.
We created two tabs above the navigation bar, “Professionals” and “Consumers.” We updated the flow of the Consumers area to increase the number of testimonials, augmented these testimonials with graphics that demonstrated EyeQue’s accuracy and ease of use, created a flow chart to show how consumers should integrate EyeQue into their overall health regimen and highlighted recent media coverage as a further endorsement of EyeQue products’ efficacy.
For the “Professionals” area, UPRAISE mirrored the structure of the Consumers page. It included testimonials from (an albeit limited number of) professionals, a flow chart that reveals how eyecare professionals could support and expand their practice by incorporating EyeQue solutions and relevant articles, typically in eyecare journals, highlighting the benefits of incorporating telemedicine capabilities such as EyeQue into their practices.
Prior to launching the site, UPRAISE recommended EyeQue invite its customer council, a group of EyeQue consumers who test and review new EyeQue products prior to launch to review the Consumers area of the site, and select eyecare professionals to review the Professionals area of the site. Both groups provided strong positive feedback about the clarity, impact of the messages and graphic appeal of the site.
Research Revealed Opportunities
We realized that EyeQue had almost no data on the specific concerns eyecare professionals had about EyeQue technology, their preferences on how they engage with patients and related questions.
We recommended and implemented a survey of the limited number of optometrists with whom the new director of optometry had relationships to gain a better understanding of these questions, the answers to which we would reflect in the new website. Among the principal findings of our research:
- 70% of eyecare professionals believe telemedicine solutions such as EyeQue can assist eyecare by providing accurate, fast, refraction testing
- 65% would be willing to renew prescriptions if their patients tested their eyes at home and sent results electronically
- 55% have no mechanism to stay in touch with their patients between visits
- 45% currently do not incorporate any form of telemedicine into their practice
- 45% are comfortable with communicating with patients via email and other “asynchronous” methods after establishing a rapport with them.
It was clear there were opportunities to reposition EyeQue as providing valuable support to eyecare professionals to build deeper relationships with their patients and expand their practices.
Early Metrics Support Our Strategy
We launched the site during National Eye Health Week, which occurs in mid-September each year. Increases in engagement on the site were significant and immediate. In the first month, we noted the following metrics:
| Consumer | Professional | |
| Average time on page | Up 22% | Up 95% |
| Average session duration | Up 24% | Up 92% |
| Page views | Up 19% | Up 89% |
| Pages per session | Up 33% | Up 94% |
| Bounce rate | Down 41% | Down 86% |
| Click/scroll depth | Up 18% | Up 77% |
| New user sessions | Up 24% | Up 91% |
“The new website UPRAISE created is the cornerstone of our greater initiative to attract eyecare professionals to the benefits of collaboration with EyeQue. It is a testament to their creativity and strategic thinking.”
Founder and CEO, EyeQue
