IbisVision has worked tirelessly with industry professionals, clinicians, and our expert team to ensure that our remote testing platform reflects an in-practice delivered consultation. We sought support from the individuals mentioned above who have experience in carrying out eye tests everyday giving us not only clinical expertise but also the patient journey experience that is required to help us shape how our product works.

How does our tele-optometry platform match up to an in-person eye test?

IbisVision is a synchronous system. This means that while the eye test is being done by the patient, the eye care professional is present and talking the patient through the test step by step via an interactive webcam feed. Our platform has been developed with the patient in mind, and you can keep the personalised approach loved by many patients and optical organisations alike.

IbisVision has many standard eye tests and can be undertaken from the IBIS-Connect platform with the patient at home before they even enter the premises. What can you use IBIS-Connect for?

Remote pre-appointment triage and testing. Our tests include: Visual Acuity tests, Visual Field & Colour, with online refraction coming soon

Remote patient monitoring

Patient questionnaires

Emergency appointments

Disease progression

Follow ups with patients after treatment

Can optometrists treat this process the same way they would an in-person eye test?

Although carried out remotely, the tests and process are very similar. The only difference is that the appointment is face to face online and instead of waiting in practice, the patient is entered into an online waiting room. To ensure the patient is prepared, when their appointment is scheduled, they will be sent instructions on any questionnaires that need to be completed beforehand and how to join the appointment. It’s a simple process, and much the same as calling up to book an appointment and showing up to the optical branch. The patient makes their appointment and logs in at their allocated time.

In terms of regulatory procedures, in Scotland, regulations were recently amended to confirm that an optometrist can claim their NHS optical vouchers for remote testing appointments. On the 20th May, the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments and General Ophthalmic Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 were laid before the Scottish Parliament. These 2022 regulations amend for General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) legislation to provide flexibility for GOS to be undertaken using remote facilities.

In the updated 2022 Regulations, the existing arrangements for providing GOS using remote facilities continues to apply which is that,

“Remote eye examinations can be claimed using supplementary eye examination reason codes and must involve all the elements of an eye examination undertaken in person with the patient, except tests and procedures which require the physical presence of the patient. A GOS claim cannot be submitted where remote facilities are only used to ask the patient a series of questions to explore their concerns more fully and make a decision regarding whether the patient requires an eye examination.”

These regulations mean IbisVision can be used to provide some examinations to the patient from their own home and comply with current GOS regulations. If you are looking to use IbisVision in other parts of the UK, it may be useful to check your countries legislation on remote eye testing if required.

IbisVision is transforming the patient and optometrist experience with the introduction of online testing in optical organisations. By cutting the cost and frequency of in-practice eye examinations and opening access to a much wider group of patients, we’re allowing eye care professionals across the board to tap into a new way of working that benefits them, their organisations and most of all their patients. For example, patient pre-visit triage can reduce the time they spend in practice and improve patient flow in practices, allowing for greater through put of patients with available resources. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that through our technology, optometry can make an even greater contribution to society.

To find out more about our tele-optometry platform, get in touch with us, here.