Now You See Me: How ZEISS Vision Care Leverages the Vonage Video API to Power Face-to-Face Interactions and State-of-the-Art Eye Care, Anytime, Anywhere

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics, and ZEISS Vision Care is one of the world's leading manufacturers of eyeglass lenses and ophthalmic instruments. ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with a mission to shape the future of technology and constantly advance the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. 

“As the pioneer of scientific optics, ZEISS continues to challenge the limits of human imagination, create value for our customers and inspire the world in new ways,” said Fabio Vicentini, Senior Product Manager, ZEISS Vision Care. “We saw that changing demographics and new technologies were influencing the healthcare market - accelerated by social distancing concerns around COVID-19 - and we knew we needed to offer doctors, vision care specialists, and patients the ability to connect safely, securely, and remotely.”

The ZEISS Vision Care team built ZEISS VISU360, and brought a human touch into this digital health experience through the power of the Vonage Video API.

Seeing Eye to Eye

The demand for remote connection to doctors and vision care specialists began prior to 2020, as optometrists needed to cover multiple or remote locations and stores were finding it difficult to serve all of their customer needs with the eye care specialist’s limited time. Once the COVID-19 pandemic began and social distancing restrictions were put in place, the need for a fully remote experience was paramount. 

The ZEISS VISU360 digital platform connects to the ZEISS ecosystem of instruments and services, allowing eye care specialists to conduct exams and power the instruments from anywhere and support remote contact with the consumer/patient, from recruitment, scheduling, pre-exam anamnesis and data collection, through the whole remote optometric exam and expert consultation, to the final management of invoices and post-exam or post-sale consumer/patient care. The ZEISS team of developers chose the Vonage Video API to  integrate fully into the VISU360 platform and provide a seamless, secure, and reliable face-to-face interaction between patient and eye care specialist - what Vicentini calls the “human aspect.”

“The Vonage Video API is perfectly integrated into our existing platform, offers a deeper connection than simple video conferencing, and provides the human touch to the ZEISS VISU360 experience,” said Vicentini. “By facilitating real-time conversation and face-to-face interaction, patients and eye care specialists can communicate as if they are together in the room, without having to worry about the physical distance between them.” 

The ZEISS VISU360 platform is currently available in the US, India, South Africa and is expanding into the APAC market. In addition to enabling detailed and high-quality eye examinations performed remotely in a confidential and medically-approved way using the Vonage Video API, ZEISS's innovative platform also helps to increase sales for eye care professionals, optimise scheduling and provide medical assistance to patients whenever and wherever it is needed. 

“Our development team was impressed with the availability and professionalism of Vonage every step of the way,” stated Vicentini. “Coupled with the security, reliability, and global reach of the Vonage Communications Platform, this level of support proved that Vonage was the right provider for us.” 

An Eye on the Future

As Vicentini sees it, the future of eye care demands flexibility and personalised customer journeys – connecting people across multiple channels and devices, built to their preference. 

“Even as social distancing restrictions are lifted, the ability to offer a fully remote eye care experience will be a meaningful differentiator in terms of customer service,” Vicentini noted. “ZEISS VISU360, with its face-to-face interaction made possible by Vonage, is one part of a whole digital customer journey from the first contact to choosing the right frames and getting the best lenses to after sales services. To serve our customers and to match upcoming trends we will constantly develop the platform further. In our view, the evolution of this technology will not replace physical stores, but will expand and augment the in-store experience.”

Discover how the Vonage Video API can help you build reliable, high-quality remote interactions with patients, customers, and more!