In a bid to promote eye health awareness and encourage regular eye exams, 10 of The Kroger Co.’s metro Atlanta stores have begun offering free self-service vision assessments as part of an alliance with health care technology provider SoloHealth.

The partnership between Kroger and SoloHealth — developer of EyeSite interactive testing kiosks that provide consumers with a quick, accurate assessment of near and distance vision — aims to encourage people to take an active role in their eye health in a convenient, familiar setting. The EyeSite units also assess risk, provide relevant eye health information and encourage consumers to schedule comprehensive exams with an eye care professional from a list of local providers.

SoloHealth EyeSite kiosks enable consumers to answer a series of lifestyle questions on a touchscreen, after which users are presented with various-sized letters to determine near and distance acuity. They then receive a customized report of their results, which they can share directly with an eye doctor.

“Eyes deteriorate so slowly that people often don’t realize their vision is changing,” said Bart Foster, CEO and founder of Atlanta-based SoloHealth. “The EyeSite kiosks are a great way for people to check their vision and get related eye health information. Our goal is to get people to think about their eyes as part of their overall health, and to take the appropriate steps to minimize eye health risks.”

Of the 210,000 people tested using the EyeSite kiosks during Atlanta-based trials in the past year, nearly 25 percent had never had an eye exam, said Foster, who noted that in many cases, this was the case in spite of their having risk factors such as a family history of eye disease.