Meet the 'Eyebot': An AI-Powered, 90-Second Vision Test

Thorough vision exams by an eye doctor are crucial for catching underlying disease and correcting your vision. However, the high costs without insurance and the hassle of getting to a doctor's office can be significant barriers to care.

New technology has filled some of the gap with online glasses and contacts retailers. Vision-checking tools are convenient for renewing a contacts or glasses prescription if you're sure your vision hasn't changed. However, they aren't enough if you suspect your vision has worsened or if you need glasses for the first time. 

The company behind the Eyebot, a kiosk-style machine that provides a vision prescription and general eye health information in about 90 seconds, is aiming to fill a gap in consumer vision care technology. The Eyebot launched this week, with machines rolling out to the Boston area. In under a few minutes, you can learn whether you need vision correction and how your eyesight compares to others your age. You can also pay about $20 to $30 to get a new glasses or contact lens prescription after a doctor reviews your results. 

Here's how it works. You walk up to a standing kiosk with a touch screen, follow the prompts and get a vision test in about one and a half minutes. Afterward, you'll receive an AI-generated, non-diagnostic report, according to Matthias Hofmann, the co-founder and CEO of Eyebot. Eyebot tells you whether you may have myopia (nearsightedness) or presbyopia (age-related blurry vision) and how severe it is, for example. If you need vision correction, you'll pay around $20 to $30 and a remote eye doctor will review your test results. You'll receive your prescription via email within about a day.

Eyebot is only meant for adults up to age 65 right now. Other conditions, such as being very myopic or having certain eye diseases may also be exclusions. As of this week, the Eyebot can only write new glasses prescriptions, but it'll be able to update prescriptions for those who wear contacts this December, Hofmann said. 

The whole experience is relatively affordable likely because Eyebot is partnering with eyeglass retailers to put up the kiosks. For example, the ones launching in Boston are through partnerships with Zenni Optical. Eyebot customers may be incentivized to shop there with perks like a waived prescription fee if they spend a certain amount on Zenni glasses. But you're not limited to Zenni, since your vision prescription can be used at any retailer.

What about the classic "one versus two?" (People who wear glasses or contacts will get it.) 

"We're not doing the 'one or two' anymore," Hofmann said. He added that the machine works by sending safe infrared into your eyes. The technology can also measure over 20 different eye diseases and disorders, potentially spotting things like cataracts or trauma to the eye, and that the clinical trials needed to make it functional are "in the pipeline," according to Hofmann.  

Similar to using a kiosk to check your blood pressure at a pharmacy, the Eyebot could make it easier for people to quickly assess their eye health or get a new glasses prescription if their vision has changed, making it a step forward in vision care. Hofmann said that the company is initially focusing on Boston and New England, with plans to set up two kiosks in California soon. By the end of the first quarter in 2025, it expects to have 25 units in operation.

In some ways, though, the Eyebot feels like older technology, especially since we're used to everything becoming smaller and more app-based for use on our phones. According to Hofmann, this isn't a coincidence. He started on the smartphone side of the vision industry 11 years ago but said that "mass adoption" issues have slowed the introduction of technology like Eyebot on smartphones. One reason is that people want a solution that feels reliable and functions as a proper vision test. 

"We have to build this from scratch," Hofmann said. 

For more, learn how often you should get an eye exam, some of the best places to buy contacts online and which vitamins and supplements could help protect your vision health.