Bausch + Lomb has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the leading cause of blindness in older people by tapping social media to tell patients’ stories.
The campaign, known as “What Sight Inspires You,” will run through the SiteMatters Facebook page throughout AMD Awareness Month this February.
“For this year’s AMD Awareness Month campaign, we wanted to provide SightMatters community members with the opportunity to talk about their vision and why it’s important to them,” Joe Gordon, president, global consumer, surgical and vision care at Bausch + Lomb, told Fierce Pharma Marketing in an interview.
“What Sight Inspires You” will feature stories and sights from the Bausch + Lomb’s SightMatters community, which is a support and educational network for those living with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
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Bausch + Lomb has supported AMD Awareness Month for eight years to showcase how patients living with AMD continue to live fulfilling lives. At the same time, the pharma, which markets several products for wet AMD, hopes to inspire patients to see a physician and stay on top of their eye health in order to protect their vision.
“We understand that AMD is not an easy diagnosis, so this year for AMD Awareness Month we are focused on elevating the voices and images of our SightMatters community for the chance to be featured on the SightMatters website and Facebook page,” Gordon said.
Throughout the month, the pharma will be distributing general educational AMD content to help spread the word about AMD and its impacts and will encourage anyone who may be affected by AMD to visit the SightMatters website for more information and to become a member.
Currently, about 16 million people in the U.S. have AMD, and the number is expected to rise as the population ages. Some ways to reduce the progression of the disease include exercise, not smoking, a healthy diet and Bausch + Lomb’s eye vitamins known as AREDS 2 Formula.
In addition to the SightMatters community, Bausch + Lomb offers eye care professionals a variety of educational resources to help them address the needs of their patients.