South-Carolina
SC Supreme Court hears challenge to state law banning online eye exams
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Technology that has been in existence for years can save hundreds of millions of Americans from a trip to the eye doctor’s office when they need prescription glasses or contact lenses.
Health data shows that around two-thirds of all people in the United States wear some type of corrective prescription lens.
But that technology is banned in South Carolina, despite having approval from the FDA and being allowed in nearly three dozen other states.
A nearly-decade-old state law prevents people in South Carolina from taking an eye exam online to receive a prescription for contact lenses or glasses.
One of the companies that administers these online exams is challenging this law, and it was heard before South Carolina’s Supreme Court on Tuesday in Columbia.
“South Carolina treats lenses differently than everything else doctors can prescribe online, from eye drops to skin creams to antibiotics,” said Joshua Windham, senior attorney for Institute for Justice, which is representing the company Opternative.
Windham said there is no rational reason for that different treatment, making the 2016 law unconstitutional.
Opternative is one of a number of companies that offer an online eye exam similar to how people are tested at the eye doctor’s office, but there is no doctor or assistant on the other side, administering the exam.
After that test, an actual person reviews the results and writes a prescription for lenses that customers can order online.
A lower court previously ruled in favor of upholding the law.
Attorneys for the South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association (SCOPA) want to keep the law in place, admitting they have an economic incentive to support it, so more patients visit their offices, but arguing it also ensures safe and adequate eye care.
“An interaction with a medical professional in a setting, in an in-person setting, allows for the discovery of other very prevalent health problems, like diabetes, like glaucoma, like hypertension,” Kirby Shealy, an attorney representing SCOPA, said.
Windham responded that argument could be made for most other types of telemedicine, which a separate state law generally permits, with some exceptions, including prescriptions for opioids, abortion drugs, and, of course, lenses.
“SCOPA’s argument in this case requires the court to pretend that glasses are more like opioids and abortions than skin creams and eye drops, and I don’t think this court has to pretend, under the South Carolina constitution,” Windham said.
Some justices seemed skeptical of what they described as a carveout in state law for lens prescriptions.
Chief Justice John Kittredge compared it to the availability of reading glasses at drugstores, which do not require a prescription.
“I see an eye chart, I see which one works better, and I make a choice,” he said. “Why isn’t that illegal? Do I sue Walgreens and Eckerds and CVS?”
There is no timeline for the Supreme Court to rule following Tuesday’s arguments.
The law itself was initially vetoed in 2016 by then-Gov. Nikki Haley, who said it put South Carolina “on the leading edge of protectionism, not innovation,” and sent the wrong message to the business community.
But the General Assembly overwhelmingly overrode Haley’s veto to enact the legislation.
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USA TODAY 250th anniversary travel guides and American stories
USA TODAY marks America’s 250th with travel guides, culture, history, and local stories.
As the nation prepares for its 250th anniversary, one of the efforts underway is America’s Time Capsule.
The time capsule project is led by America250 and meant to bring together carefully selected artifacts and documents from all 50 states, five U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and each branch of the federal government.
This national project is designed to capture the story of the United States at this historic 250th birthday, according to America250.
Here’s what South Carolina contributed to the national project.
What did South Carolina put in the America250 time capsule?
South Carolina is marking the nation’s 250th anniversary by contributing two historic items to the national America’s Time Capsule project, according to America250.
As part of the SouthCarolina250, which is the state’s initiative for the U.S.’s 250th celebration, commemoration effort, the state has provided a commemorative challenge coin and an official SC250 lapel pin.
Both will be buried inside the capsule on July 4, along with items from other states. And it is set to be reopened 250 years later in 2276.
Where will the Americ250 time capsule be buried?
The ceremonial burial of America’s Time Capsule is set to take place at Independence National Historical Park, located at 599 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, according to america250.org.
What else is in America’s 250th anniversary time capsule
As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, the national time capsule has been filled with items meant to capture the character and diversity of the country in this moment.
The collection spans a range of items, from archival letters and state proclamations to student work from the America’s Field Trip contest, uncirculated currency, and even pieces of national sports memorabilia.
Time capsule engineered to last centuries
As planners work to ensure America’s Time Capsule endures for the next two and a half centuries, engineers and archivists have focused heavily on long‑term preservation.
The capsule itself is a cylinder‑shaped stainless‑steel vessel, precision‑designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in partnership with archival scientists at the Library of Congress, according to the Institute.
Travis Jacque Rose is the trending news reporter for the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at trose@gannett.com.
In Laurens County, a dual-sided historic marker stands next to a mailbox off the side of the road. The name Jonathan Downs was commemorated on one side, while the other side was signed with the story of Lindley’s Fort in the American Revolution.
The Battle of Fort Lindley took place July 15, 1776, some 1,800 feet away from the modern-day historic marker. Private farmland now sits where the battle ensued, but physical pieces of history and oral retellings of the battle have continued to propel the story in Laurens County lore.
Loyalists to the British crown and Cherokee citizens planned an attack on a group stationed at the fort. The Little River Regiment used the fort as their base. Loyalist Capt. David Fanning described the scene as a “fort built with logs” in his autobiographical retelling of the Revolutionary War.
Cherokee land had continually been encroached on, which pushed members of the tribe to retaliate.
The loyalists who joined in the attack were dressed as Native Americans. They – along with other South Carolina backcountry loyalists – were referred to as Scopholites. The group took action at midnight for what became a two-hour fight in one of the first conflicts of the Cherokee War of 1776.
Historian Durant Ashmore said the crux of the battle was a clash of culture and a fundamental lack of understanding among the groups.
“One thing that has been very important to understand is the conflicts between cultures – the misunderstandings between cultures – and the deadly consequences that can result from that,” he said.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia
/
South Carolina Public Radio
Troops at the fort had at first not believed word of the upcoming attack when informed by a group of soldiers, according to a pension application of Matthew Brown, who was a 16-year-old boy stationed at a fort about 20 miles away from Fort Lindley. The men were drunk from a night of indulging in rum, which Ashmore said was a common occurrence during the war.
“The Little River Regiment did not believe them. They actually even leveled their guns at them, saying, ‘Who’s telling you such lies as this?’” he said.
Maj. Downs, however, prepped the troops for defense. Downs was a previous member of the First Provincial Congress, Second Provincial Congress, and South Carolina General Assembly.
A sizable chunk of the Patriot troops had already experienced fighting Cherokee citizens during the Anglo-Cherokee War that lasted from about 1758-1761. Soldiers at Fort Lindley responded to the attack by sending out troops in lines of 10. Eventually, the loyalists and Cherokee citizens retreated.
The patriot victory boosted local morale and belief in their cause, but for some unscathed loyalists and Cherokee citizens, the aftermath’s impact trumped the actual battle loss in consequences.
The morning after the battle, troops from the fort found about 30 horses at a campsite. One saddlebag contained the commission papers of Capt. James Lindley. Lindley was a staunch loyalist and the eponymous owner of Fort Lindley.
Six months prior to the battle, he had been captured at the Battle of Great Cane Break. Lindley had promised to not take up arms against patriot forces again, or he would face death. Although he was not captured in the midnight battle, he did succumb to patriot troops at the Battle of Kettle Creek and was hanged for breaking his parole.
As for the Cherokee citizens, their land was further encroached upon and people killed; about 2,000 were killed during the Cherokee War of 1776.
Ashmore said the consequences from escalating conflict were terrible.
“Patriots gathered together with the idea of a plan, the goal of eliminating the Cherokees. Genocide,” he said. “That’s what was preached to the backcountry settlers along with the ability to make their own decisions. A primary motivating factor in the American Revolution is the right of self-determination.”
Luis-Alfredo Garcia
/
South Carolina Public Radio
Now, private land with cows and sheep sits on the area where the fort once stood. Ashmore said he gives tours just during the winter to avoid the risk of ticks. The area where trenches once helped shield soldiers are still visible.
Some remnants from the fort now reside at the Laurens County Museum in the city of Laurens’ downtown area. The objects, although not individually labeled, will be part of an upcoming opening collection.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia
/
South Carolina Public Radio
Museum docent Julia Sermons said being informed of local history helps shape modern decisions.
“You have to know where you’re coming from to know where you’re going,” she said.
Ashmore, too, saw the same value.
“We are all in the middle of this,” he said. “This history – the important role that South Carolina played in the Revolution.”
An estimated 14 battles took place in Laurens County, according to Ashmore. He has been keeping track of local history for about 6 years. He said the county has set a 50-year plan to help with future record keeping.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia
/
South Carolina Public Radio
Video of SCHSL 5A Division 1 Upper State track and field championships
Here’s video of some of the action from the SCHSL Class 5A Division 1 Upper State boys and girls track and field championships held May 8 at Dorman.
Riley Vaughn of Spartanburg girls Track and Field was named the 2025-26 South Carolina girls Gatorade Player of the Year.
Vaughn won the shot put and discus events at the Class 5A-D1 state championships. She nailed a 13.1 meters on the shot and 41.77 meters on the discus. Her 14.41 in the shot at the region meet was the state’s best for 2026.
The 5-foot-10 junior helped lead Spartaburg to a fifth-place team finish. Vaughn had also competed on the national stage after taking third place in the shot put event at the Under Armour Nationals.
“Unbeaten in the discus throw on home state soil this year, Vaughn achieved success in both throws, but really sparkled in the shot put circle,” PrepCalTrack editor, Rich Gonzalez, said. “Her season-best there was the state’s top mark in the event in seven years and moved her to No. 4 on South Carolina’s all-time list.”
Vaughn is now part of an elite group of athletes who have won the prestigious award, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, five-time Olympic medalist Sanya Richards, and 11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix.
Vaughn was also named to the Greenville News’ All-Upstate First Team in girls’ Track and Field for the second consecutive season.
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at KEJackson@gannett.com and follow her on X @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).
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