Johnson & Johnson is shining a spotlight on vision care in a new campaign to bring attention to eye health around the world. The #spotlightsight push from J&J Vision is centered on World Sight Day on Oct. 11.
Along with social media and digital media, J&J will activate its “Donate a Photo” platform on behalf of the cause. For every photo shared through the app, J&J Vision will contribute $1 to two charities—the Himalayan Cataract Project and Sight for Kids—with photo posters able to choose which one. For its part, J&J has committed to provide 1,000 cataract procedures and 100,000 vision screenings for children.
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J&J launched the photo app in 2013 as a way to funnel donations, with efforts from women and children’s health to emergency relief, with more than 2 million photos shared for 107 causes.
Also as part of the effort, J&J Vision will shine actual spotlight beacons into the air from its offices in Santa Ana, California, and Jacksonville, Florida.
Jonathan Talamo, chief medical officer at J&J Vision, said the campaign aims to raise awareness about preventable blindness and the quality of life diminished by impaired eyesight. While eye health issues are generally well-known in the U.S., it is a much bigger health burden globally. Almost 285 million people face impaired vision with 80% of those cases preventable with treatment, he noted.
The debut of the Spotlight campaign comes months after the debut of J&J Vision’s umbrella website, JJVision.com, in May to connect the company’s portfolio of digital properties for consumers and eye care professionals.
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J&J Vision Care mainly focused on contact lenses for the past 30 years but began a concerted push into broader eye health in 2016. That growth was fueled by acquisitions in 2017, with three major purchases: Abbott Medical Optics, TearScience and Sightbox. J&J Vision, which reports into the company's medical devices unit, brought in revenue of more than $4.3 billion last year.
J&J’s beefed-up vision mission extends across its divisions, including pharma, as part of J&J's overall strategy of working across groups in its bid to offer differentiated capabilities and partnered solutions.