Check out this interview with our COO, Steve Ingram, who dives into what IbisVision does for the optical sector, how our product works, and his own experience in the industry. With numerous years as CIO at Vision Express, Steve brings a ton of knowledge to both IbisVision and our customers.

Keep reading to find out more!

What is your role and what does it entail?

My title is Chief Operating Officer but in a team like ours, titles don’t mean a lot, it’s all about what everybody brings to the table. To sum it up, my role is about delivering on the business strategy for IbisVision. We continue to develop a fantastic solution, and now it is a case of working with our team to make sure we bring all the threads together; development, sales, marketing, partnerships and product quality. My goal is to make sure these are all aligned and working with our fantastic current and future customers. 

Tell us a bit about your previous roles and your career in the industry.

I’ve had a rich and varied career in the sector, spanning across retail technology but also in the intersection of retail and healthcare in opticians and pharmacies. My key role in the sector was CIO at Vision Express where I was for a number of years working through the Tesco Opticians acquisition. On top of this, I’ve also worked for the large management consultants, most latterly at Deloitte, so I have a keen eye from both inside and outside. While in my role at Vision Express, we had many trials of new technology, and it fascinates me how technology can help patients and professionals in our industry.  

What drove you to join IbisVision?

I had been in talks with the team for a couple of years prior to joining, mostly sharing my experiences from being on the Executive level of a large optical chain. What always impressed me was that the focus of the business has always been on two things: being useful and being useable. By that, I mean that of course we have tests, but we contextualize them in a journey that can be as much or as little as our customers need. It is built around what is useful, and also importantly it is easy to use (and we have had comments on this), which is a good start since we are seeking people to adopt something new!

What do you believe the future of tele-optometry looks like and what are the opportunities for telemedicine use in optometry?

I think that the potential is huge but as with all big changes there is inevitable inertia that will need to be overcome. The pandemic showed how quickly we changed as a society to remote working and consumption of remote and digital services. The way we are seeing primary care being pushed into the high street, we will see pressure on the resources there. We believe that telemedicine will be a huge help in these areas, from initial triage supported by a suite of tests, to managing checks/follow ups/aftercare and even post operative checks. Refraction is the thing instantly talked about but the world of telemedicine is so much more. I really do think that remote refraction will be a fantastic service to those who want it, and that it will give more chair-time for eye health – but it is not a binary thing. Ultimately, telemedicine and our suite of tests will give a choice.

Technology is a force for good and ultimately my passion is about availability and accessibility to eyecare, and I believe that telemedicine and IbisVision helps that.

What factors do you think might drive or challenge adoption of telemedicine in optometry?

Ultimately, telemedicine adoption will be driven by the patient. They are more used to doing what they need to do on a laptop, phone or tablet, and so once available, it will take an inevitable route. Early adopters will get it going, then there are also those who will be a little more skeptical and will take a little more time to see it proven, and lastly, there are the followers who come behind because they see it as a good thing. Our industry is resistant to change, so that will be a challenge, but this is why we see doing this hand in hand with the industry as important. As mentioned previously, pushing primary care to the high street will inevitably drive further adoption, and the journeys and pathways will find their way. 

What are your goals for your role at IbisVision and can you share some more about IbisVision’s overall goals?

My key goal is to work with our industry to increase the use of telemedicine, and to make sure that we continue to develop what is needed. In doing this, I will be heavily guided by our Advisory Group of experts from across the optical industry – operators, optometrists, ophthalmologists and academics – to help us continue in the right direction.

In terms of IbisVision’s goals, that’s simple. We aim to be known as THE telemedicine solution for eyecare, and to keep growing to provide our industry with what it needs to make eyecare available and accessible to as many people as possible.

Interested in speaking to Steve about IbisVision and what it can do for your organization? Get in touch with us, here.