Allergan has added Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to its glaucoma awareness roster. The Denver Broncos linebacker and healthy vision advocate is suiting up for the “My Glaucoma” campaign, serving as a spokesman in media interviews and online.
Miller, who suffered with vision problems as a child, notes in an online video, “I don’t have glaucoma, but I do know what it’s like to struggle with eyesight and the frustration it causes.”
In the video at MyGlaucoma.com, Miller talks about his battles with low self-esteem and quality-of-life issues people with vision problems experience. On the page, Miller also encourages people to take an “eye” Q test about glaucoma in a friendly competition to be an MVP like him.
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“We wanted to find the right person to really help amplify the awareness of this disease and the impact it can have. Not only on patients, but also on their caregivers. Von was a natural selection for us,” said Matthew Bolton, Allergan's executive director of glaucoma marketing.
Miller has his own charity, Von’s Vision, to provide Denver-area kids with eye exams and glasses. He’s also known as a 2016 contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Since the campaign began in October, its website has garnered 100,000 views, and Bolton expects more as Miller’s spokesman role continues. Miller has been interviewed on media including ABC News and CBS, and he's shared the video on Instagram, racking up more than 60,000 likes. Social media commenters pitched in their own stories, too.
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Allergan, which markets glaucoma-fighting treatments Lumigan and Alphagan, began the campaign with a study in conjunction with the Glaucoma Research Foundation. They found that while 3 in 4 patients are concerned they will lose their vision to glaucoma, 40% consider it to be only somewhat serious or not serious at all.