The Singapore-based health tech company, Plano Pte Ltd, has launched plano Eyecheck, an easy-to-use, patient-centred online eye care platform. As a partner of the Health Promotion Board’s National Myopia Prevention Programme (NMPP), plano Eyecheck is aligned with the objectives of the programme which aims to prevent and reduce myopia progression among children. plano Eyecheck will help to close the loop for eye care service delivery both in Singapore and in the near future, the world.

Plano promotes the use of innovative technology to provide a solution to help mitigate the public health, societal and economic issues posed by excessive device usage. The App system is designed to address the global blind spot in eye care which is the under-utilisation of eye care services, delayed diagnosis and the lack of preventative management in eye care. plano Eyecheck connects users to their nearest optometrist and allows them to book comprehensive eye checks for themselves and their children, and better manage their eye health and myopia.

Commonly known as the myopia capital of the world, 1 in 10 children in Singapore develop myopia between the ages of 6 months and 6 years, sometimes even before they receive their first national vision screening in schools. By the end of secondary school, this worsens; 8 in 10 children have myopia. If left untreated, high myopia can lead to serious complications and even irreversible blindness. In order to have the best chance at preventing this, children should start going for regular comprehensive eye check-ups from as young as 6 months of age so that the progression of myopia can be slowed.

According to Plano’s founding Managing Director, Associate Professor Mohamed Dirani, most children do not undergo regular eye examinations, and this lack of eye care service utilisation is part of the reason that the global myopia problem is getting worse.

“Plano empowers parents to work with their children to develop healthy eye care habits, and this includes having regular and timely comprehensive eye check-ups,” said Associate Professor Dirani. “The long-standing problem of people not having eye check-ups must become something of the past, particularly now that we know that the majority of vision impairment can be prevented with early and regular eye check-ups. A tech solution to the problem makes the most sense.”

With major industry partners including Videre, W Optics and Nanyang Optical onboard, plano Eyecheck allows parents to search for and connect with one of Plano’s trusted partner optometrists, and to make appointments online at an affordable price using our exclusive discounts. Those already using the plano app – Plano’s acclaimed flagship product (over 300,000 downloads in Singapore alone) that allows parents to manage their children’s smart device use as well as their eye health – will be able to use the plano Eyecheck service directly through the app in a seamlessly integrated system where they can receive reminders, book and amend appointments, and keep track of their child’s eye health information all in one place.

Associate Professor Dirani continued, “Alongside our platform, we will be ramping up our awareness and education efforts to better inform parents on the importance of regular and timely eye check-ups. In this digital world, your eyes and vision can no longer be taken for granted.”