This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Think About Your Eyes continues to drive eye exams

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

ST. LOUIS – The national public awareness campaign, Think About Your Eyes, created 3.95 million incremental eye exams in 2018.

Richard Weisbarth

Think About Your Eyes (TAYE) chair Richard Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, reported here at Optometry’s Meeting, “That was driven by the fact that we had 2.3 million website visits, had campaign messaging seen by more than 1 billion people and generated $869 million dollars in eye exams and eye wear revenue, all attributable to this campaign.”

He said that TAYE’s educational efforts were responsible for identifying more than 77,000 cases of glaucoma and 290,000 cases of cataracts.

“When we add age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and newly diagnosed diabetes, we add 180,000, all attributable to this campaign,” Weisbarth said.

The number of people searching for optometrists through the TAYE program increased 30% between January and June 15 versus the same time frame last year, he said, and the conversion rate for visitors to the site who ended up seeing a doctor was 15.4%, nearly double what it was last year.

Weisbarth explained that the campaign promotes optometry and the importance of comprehensive annual eye exams through TV ads, radio and podcast spots, digital ads, online video and paid searches. The group is continually measuring the impact of its efforts to be sure its tactics are hitting intended audiences.

“We’ve seen that the way the American public comprehends information is changing,” Weisbarth said. “We’ve become less of a TV campaign. People are unplugging from TV.”

He said TAYE has added Facebook and Google search impressions, is advertising on Hulu and has launched an Instagram channel.

TAYE has also partnered with Fuel Up to Play 60, a health and wellness program for children, and the Daily Bumps’ Lanning family, a YouTube series, to extend the reach of its message. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO

Disclosure: Weisbarth is employed by Alcon.