LO
ConstraintCognitive automation2016-05-19
A prescription for glasses or contact lenses may not be based solely on refractive error or be generated by a kiosk, under South Carolina's eye care consumer protection law
Optometristoccupation page →
Event date / reported
2016-05-19
Evidence stage
ConstraintFailure, rollback, regulation or cost is suppressing adoption. Can lower an assessment or widen its uncertainty.
Tasks this bears on
Measuring vision and prescribing lenses
Refraction — working out the lens power a person needs — and writing the prescription for glasses or contact lenses.
Being augmented✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
South Carolina, United States. The law says a person may not dispense glasses or contact lenses without a valid prescription from a provider, that the prescription must take into consideration the medical findings and refractive error from the eye examination, and that it may not be based solely on the refractive error of the eye or be generated by a kiosk. Violation is professional misconduct. It covers one US state.
What this means
In one state, the law ties the prescription to a full examination and rules out a machine issuing it.
What it does not yet show
One US state; other states and countries allow online or kiosk refraction in different ways.
What you can check
Open South Carolina Code section 40-24-20 and find "generated by a kiosk".
Does it change the assessment?
No. The impact index is never moved by a single event. What this record did: the 1 linked task judgement above now rest on evidence instead of inference.
Source
South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 40, Chapter 24 (Eye Care Consumer Protection Law), Section 40-24-20 — 2016 Act No. 173, effective May 19, 2016 · verified 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.