On October 27, 2020, CVS announced CVS Pharmacy QuickRenew, an at-home contact lens prescription renewal tool. CVS Health presented QuickRenew, an online contact lens prescription renewal tool powered by technology from Premium Vision. Premium Vision powers the telehealth technology which allows customers to easily renew their contact lens prescription online from the comfort of home. The company propose their clients to renew their prescription with an independent ophthalmologist and order contact lenses to be shipped to their home.
Customers can use the easy and convenient tool to renew their prescription at home in minutes.
“We continue to adapt and evolve our digital offerings in response to the pandemic. This addition to our optical site gives customers a new way to fulfill an important health care need safely and confidently from the comfort of their homes,” said Michele Driscoll, Vice President of Customer Engagement, ExtraCare, Digital, & Promotion, CVS Health. “This is especially important at a time when customers are trying to limit their interactions or are finding it difficult to schedule time with an optometrist. Digital screening takes less than 15-20 minutes, and information is reviewed by a licensed independent ophthalmologist.”
The Global Market Of Contact Lenses
The global market for contact lenses is valued at about 11.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, and is projected to grow to about 19.45 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. The vast majority of the revenue generated by the worldwide contact lenses market is attributed to the United States. In 2016, the global smart contact lens market was valued at approximately 59.92 million U.S. dollars, and is forecasted to reach to 1075.69 million dollars by 2022.
- Contact lenses are medical devices and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
- Rigid, or hard, contact lenses made from plastic were first produced in the U.S. between 1938-1940.
- Soft contact lenses were first introduced to the U.S. in 1971.
- Ninety percent of contact lens wearers use soft contact lenses.
- An estimated 45 million people in the U.S. wear contact lenses.
- Two-thirds of contact lens wearers are female.
- The average age of contact lens wearers worldwide is 31 years old.
- An estimated 8% of contact lens wearers are under 18 years old, 17% are between ages 18-24, and 75% of adults age 25 and older wear contacts.
CVS Pharmacy QuickRenew Is Available In 32 States
The QuickRenew online prescription renewal service is now available in 32 states, where permitted. Patients must be age 18 55, have been fitted for contact lenses in the past, have had a full eye exam within the last four years and have healthy eye history.
“With 25 years of experience in the vision industry, Premium Vision is taking another meaningful step for our brand, our partners and most importantly for consumers,” said Scott Osmond, Vice President of Premium Vision. “By leveraging our unique expertise combined with advanced technology, we’re creating new solutions to help consumers get the vision care and correction they need from anywhere.”
Complications & Risk Factors
- Serious eye infections that can lead to blindness affect up to 1 out of every 500 contact lens users per year.
- Not following proper contact lens care instructions has been linked to outbreaks of serious eye infections.
- Between 40%-90% of contact lens wearers do not properly follow the care instructions for their contact lenses.
- Approximately 99% of respondents reported at least one contact lens hygiene behavior previously associated with an increased risk of eye infection or inflammation.
- Improper cleaning and irregular replacement of contact lenses and contact lens cases—as well as other behaviors relating to contact lens hygiene and care—have been linked to a higher risk of complications.
Keratitis—a painful eye infection often linked to improper contact lens use—leads to 1 million doctor and hospital visits annually, at a cost of $175 million to the US healthcare system.
