South Carolina becomes third state to ban the controversial eye exam company.
Not long after South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley vetoed a bill that would have banned Opternative, state legislators overrode that veto, forcing the online eye exam company to cease operations in the state, Chicago Inno reports. South Carolina, the article says, joins Georgia and Indiana as states which have banned Opternative.
Reacting to the news, Opternative founder and CEO Aaron Dallek told the media outlet: “We appreciate Governor Nikki Haley’s support of patients in South Carolina who will no longer have access to safe, affordable, and convenient eye care services. [The bill] was created because the lobbying of the South Carolina Optometric Association clearly demonstrates it does not want optometrists to compete with clinically proven and accurate technology-enabled medical services like Opternative."
Michael Campbell, South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association (SCOPA) president, told Chicago Inno that the override "… reverses what could have been a detrimental action to the eye health of thousands. While we as doctors of optometry fully support innovative technology that is of benefit to our patients, the override and enactment of this bill will continue to safeguard these families across South Carolina.”
Read more at Chicago Inno