Eyebot’s 90-Second Kiosks Aim to Fix Vision Care Access

A shortage of eye doctors is making it harder for Americans to get a simple vision test, with wait times stretching to several months in many areas. Startup Eyebot is betting that convenience, not clinical thoroughness, is what most people actually want, and its founder built a kiosk that delivers a prescription-ready vision test in about 90 seconds.

From a Failed App to a Retail Kiosk

Eyebot co-founder and CEO Matthias Hofmann previously worked at EyeNetra, an early smartphone-based vision testing company. That product had accurate technology but demanded too much effort from users, requiring an app download and precise instructions that many customers found frustrating. The experience convinced Hofmann that ease of use mattered more than technical sophistication, pushing him to design a kiosk experience instead, one that fits into an existing errand rather than requiring a separate appointment.

Addressing a Doctor Shortage at Scale

Eyebot’s kiosks are now appearing inside Walmart, Sam’s Club, and other vision care retailers across eight states. Each self-guided test is reviewed afterward by a licensed doctor, who decides whether to issue an eyeglass prescription, and customers needing more specialized attention are referred elsewhere. Some optometrists have raised concerns that shoppers might mistake the quick test for a full eye exam, but Hofmann maintains the kiosks are meant to supplement, not replace, professional care by filling gaps left by understaffed clinics.

Hofmann envisions future versions of the kiosk expanding into contact lens prescriptions and preliminary screening for eye disorders, though he’s careful to note that diagnosing disease remains a doctor’s job. For now, the goal is simpler: give people, particularly those without vision insurance or free time, an easier first point of contact for their eye health.