CHICAGO—Opternative, an online prescription renewal service for eyeglasses and contact lenses, has renewed its partnership with 1-800 Contacts to continue its online service that allows patients to update their prescriptions without seeing an eye doctor in-person, according to an announcement. The renewed partnership with 1-800 Contacts comes 18 months after the two companies signed their first partnership agreement, which VMAIL reported at the time. No further details about the terms or the length of the contract extension were available Monday.

“1-800 Contacts is dedicated to providing customers with simple, affordable ways to manage their vision care needs,” John Graham, CEO of 1-800 Contacts, said in the announcement issued by Opternative late last week. “We believe that technology has great potential to extend the reach of doctors, improve access for patients, and help control the costs of delivering health care services. Our partnership with Opternative has enabled us to provide customers with a convenient way to renew their contact lens prescription.”

For 1-800 Contacts’ customers, continued “access to Opternative’s technology helps reduce the time spent between refreshing their contacts supply, which can help reduce damage to the eye as contacts begin to break down and harbor bacteria,” the announcement noted. “The service is only intended for those who have existing prescriptions and are in need of a renewal, not first-time visitors who have previously never been to an in-person eye doctor.”

Opternative co-founder Steven Lee, OD, said in the announcement that Opternative is “excited to continue our growing partnership with 1-800 Contacts.” He added, “We are constantly working to support online retailers as well as working to develop our platform to service patients in the eyecare industry.”

Chicago-based Opternative was founded in 2012 and subsequently launched the first online refractive eye test that delivers a physician-issued prescription for glasses or contact lenses. The company says its eye test is available in 34 states. In the recent announcement, Opternative said it has “partnered with eyewear retailers across the U.S. to bring this revolutionary service to our partner’s clients.”