While telemedicine becomes the standard for non-emergency checkups in 2020, several MedTech startups have worked to expand the definition of a ‘house call.’
Specifically, Nashville-based GoCheck has launched the first clinically-valid app-based visual acuity test that can be downloaded and used at home to make sure kids get the vision care they need.
Patients can take the eye exam prior to an official visit with a pediatrician, thus limiting the amount of time people are in waiting rooms or doctor’s offices during COVID-related restrictions. The test takes less than one minute per eye, and the results are shared directly with a patient’s physician.
Those already using the GoCheck Kids platform will automatically have access to the test through their current subscription.
“The GoCheck team has been working around the clock to develop, test, and launch a new product that meets the needs of our evolving healthcare system,” said GoCheck CEO Kevon Saber in a statement. “What’s missing are tools the patient can use at home to provide critical results about their wellbeing, and the clinician can interrupt to determine if a patient needs medical intervention.”
This new app expands on the current GoCheckKids, an FDA-registered app to help pediatricians detect risk factors like myopia, hyperopia, and amblyopia (lazy eye), or other vision disorders that might be missed without access to expensive equipment and specialized ophthalmologist visits.
For parents, the app can help streamline doctors visits while ensuring that kids stay up-to-date with their health screenings even during the pandemic. “GoCheck Vision at Home was easy to use and saved my family time because we didn’t have to spend the same amount of time in the doctor’s office,” said parent Bretton Greenwood.
For technologists, GoCheck’s product expansion showcases that the MedTech sector continues to search for safe and remote health screening options across specialties.
While adding the at-home visual acuity test to their product line, GoCheck is the only vision screening platform that meets the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for vision assessment from 12 months to adulthood.
GoCheckKids made headlines in summer 2019 after raising a $6 million Series B round from FCA Venture Partners.