Opternative suffers setback in South Carolina

A protracted legal battle in the US has seen the use of one refraction platform outlawed in South Carolina.

The ‘eye care consumer protection law,’ proposed by South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association (SCOPA), was first vetoed last week by governor Nikki Haley because she said it used health practice regulation to stifle competition for a single industry. Haley also called for more development of the technology: ‘Send a bill to my desk that allows for the expanded use of automatic vision evaluations in all medical settings, and I will sign it.’

‘Technology and emerging telehealth services clearly make healthcare more affordable for consumers, and the efforts to block these advancements in a handful of states is simply wrong,’ said former speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich after the veto was granted.