Shoppers who head towards the Georgia Wal-Mart will be pleased to know that there is the EyeSite kiosk available, making it a snap for folks to get their eyes checked while they’re busy shopping for their weekly groceries or simply taking a stroll through. The EyeSite kiosk is the brainchild of Atlanta entrepreneur Bart Foster, and his start-up company, SoloHealth, is currently working hard at testing the self-service vision screening device in several markets. Foster hopes to raise the awareness among people concerning the importance of visiting their eye care professionals for regular eye exams. After all, studies have shown that those who used the kiosk were in the end, recommended to pay a visit to an eye care provider in the immediate future so that their vision will not deteriorate any further.

SoloHealth plans to launch its kiosks in high traffic retail locations, such as Wal-Mart stores. After all, Foster has mentioned that “We know that Wal-Mart is committed to providing affordable, accessible solutions to America’s healthcare challenges, and joining with them gives SoloHealth an opportunity to offer Wal-Mart customers a convenient first step on the road to better awareness and eye health.” I guess teaming up with Wal-Mart is a potent combination for just about any vendor. Just bear in mind that this kiosk is not meant to be a short cut, offering a replacement for an actual eye exam. The printout of the results will show eye health and product information, while referring the user to a nearby participating eye care professional. This sounds like a win-win situation to me, both for the consumer and the eye care professional.

Do keep a lookout for the EyeSite kiosk the next time you pay a visit to Wal-Mart. It would be interesting to see how a nationwide roll out will impact our visual health in the long run. I’d start with playing less video games…

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