Yes, sponsors and CROs can set up a semi-permanent eye exam space at a research site for a long-running study. 20/20 Onsite builds these spaces through its Mobile Vision Pods (MVPs), which are customized for each study and can remain deployed at a site for extended periods without the cost or delay of building permanent clinic infrastructure.
For trials with ocular endpoints that run over multiple years, that distinction matters. A semi-permanent exam space provides a study with a dedicated, protocol-ready room without requiring a sponsor to build and staff a full eye clinic from scratch.
A semi-permanent eye exam space sits between two extremes. On one end is a fully mobile clinic that travels to participants. On the other is a permanent, built-out eyecare office designed to operate indefinitely.
20/20 Onsite's Mobile Vision Pods (MVPs) fill the middle ground. An MVP is a customizable, self-contained exam space that can be deployed externally at a research site and left in place for the length of the study. It functions like a dedicated exam room, not a one-day visit.
An MVP differs from 20/20 Onsite's two other delivery models. Mobile Vision Clinics (MVCs) are fully equipped clinics on wheels that travel between locations. Mobile Clinic Suites (MCSs) bring ophthalmic equipment and certified staff into a site's own existing exam rooms, often to rescue a study that's fallen behind on ophthalmic assessments. An MVP is built for a site that needs its own standing testing room for the trial's full duration instead.
Long-duration studies face greater exposure to enrollment and retention risks simply because they run longer. According to a 2020 systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, around 80% of clinical trials fail to meet their initial enrollment timeline, and the resulting delays can cost sponsors up to $8 million per day.
A semi-permanent space at or near the research site removes one common source of that delay: patient travel to a separate testing location. It also spares the sponsor the overhead of building and later decommissioning permanent clinic space for a single study.
Citing its own internal trial data, 20/20 Onsite's point-of-need model has produced a 9% participant dropout rate, compared with an industry average near 30%. A stable exam space that meets participants where the trial is already running supports that same retention pattern over a multi-year study.
For a Clinical Operations Lead coordinating site readiness, a semi-permanent room also simplifies vendor management. One point-of-need partner handles equipment, staffing, and calibration, rather than juggling separate vendors for imaging, refraction, and intraocular pressure testing across a multi-year protocol; that's single-call accountability for the ophthalmic workstream, held for the life of the study
A semi-permanent exam space is built around the same core equipment used across 20/20 Onsite's point-of-need units, calibrated and maintained to the same standard regardless of setting.
A typical exam lane includes a slit lamp for anterior segment exams, a phoropter and trial lenses for refraction, an applanation tonometer for intraocular pressure, and an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine for retinal imaging. A binocular indirect ophthalmoscope and transilluminator round out the standard dilated exam kit, and many sites add a fundus camera such as Optos or Clarus for retinal photography.
Layout matters as much as equipment. Visual acuity testing is traditionally performed at 20 feet, the distance at which the eye's focusing muscles relax fully, so an exam lane needs either that literal length or a mirror system that preserves the effective testing distance in a smaller footprint. A front desk or pre-testing area for intake keeps the exam lane itself free for the optometrist and reduces bottlenecks on high-volume visit days.
An ergonomic exam chair and a layout that lets a technician move between instruments without repositioning the patient both cut down on visit time, which matters on a study with a large enrolled population and a fixed visit window.
Staffing follows the same standard 20/20 Onsite applies to its mobile units. Certified optometric technicians and, when the protocol calls for one, an on-site optometrist perform every exam, so participants see the same level of clinical oversight they would get at a fixed clinical trial site.
Because an MVP stays in place, calibration becomes a scheduled maintenance task rather than a one-time setup step. 20/20 Onsite's technicians hold relevant technical certifications and follow standing calibration protocols across every point-of-need unit, whether mobile or semi-permanent.
Systems used to capture and submit trial data also follow 21 CFR Part 11 requirements, the FDA's rule covering electronic records and signatures in regulated studies. Paired with a 98% data accuracy submission rate, a semi-permanent space is built to hold up to sponsor and CRO audit expectations over a multi-year trial.
Every deployment starts with a review of the study's ocular endpoints and the site's available space, since equipment needs shift depending on which assessments the protocol requires. From there, 20/20 Onsite provisions and calibrates the equipment for that specific study, staffs the space with certified optometric personnel, and coordinates with the site team on scheduling around existing clinic operations.
Setup timelines vary by site readiness, equipment lead time, and study complexity, so sponsors and CROs get the most out of this model by looping in a point-of-need partner early, during site selection and protocol design rather than after.
Once the space is live, 20/20 Onsite treats it the same as any other point-of-need unit: scheduled equipment checks, ongoing technician oversight, and the same data submission standards used across every trial. That consistency is what lets a single semi-permanent room support a study through multiple protocol amendments and visit types without a gap in data quality.
A semi-permanent eye exam space only works if it's built around the study's actual endpoints from day one. 20/20 Onsite has deployed Mobile Vision Pods across long-running trials nationwide and can help scope what a specific protocol would need.
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The main considerations are the protocol's specific ocular endpoints, available space at the site, exam lane layout including testing distance, staffing with certified optometric personnel, and a calibration schedule that holds up over the study's full duration.
What Equipment Is Needed to Set Up a Semi-Permanent Eye Exam Space for Long-Running Trials?A standard setup includes a slit lamp, a phoropter and trial lenses, an applanation tonometer, an OCT machine, a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, a transilluminator, and often a fundus camera such as Optos, all calibrated to the protocol's requirements.
What's the Difference Between a Semi-Permanent Exam Space and a Mobile Vision Clinic?A Mobile Vision Clinic (MVC) is a fully equipped clinic on wheels that travels between locations. A semi-permanent space, built through 20/20 Onsite's Mobile Vision Pods (MVPs), stays deployed at one site for the length of a study.
Why Is Vision Tested at 20 Feet?Visual acuity testing is done at 20 feet because it's the distance at which the eye's focusing muscles relax fully, giving an accurate baseline reading. Shorter exam lanes typically use a mirror system to preserve that same effective testing distance.
How Is 20/20 Onsite's Technical Equipment Calibrated?20/20 Onsite follows standing calibration protocols across every point-of-need unit, mobile or semi-permanent. Technicians with relevant technical certifications perform regular calibration checks to keep every assessment accurate and audit-ready.
How Long Does It Take to Set Up a Semi-Permanent Eye Exam Space at a Research Site?Timelines depend on site readiness, the equipment a protocol requires, and how early the space is scoped during site selection. Looping in a point-of-need partner during protocol design typically shortens the runway.