By: Gordon Bethwaite, Head of Marketing, Eye Care, Pain, Women's Health
To source a campaign image from Prevent Blindness
A routine eye exam can be the moment someone gets clarity, literally and figuratively. It can spark a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a simple correction that changes how a person works, learns, drives, and lives.
That’s why Viatris is sponsoring Prevent Blindness’ “It Started with an Eye Exam” campaign. The campaign encourages people to share personal stories of how eye care improved their vision and daily lives, while also educating the public on how to prepare for an eye exam and why vision health belongs in the broader healthcare conversation.
Information alone is rarely enough to motivate action. People act when they see themselves in the story, when the next step feels doable, and when the system makes that next step easier. This campaign is built around those realities, and that’s why we chose to support it.
Why an eye exam? And, how to prepare for one
One reason I appreciate this initiative is that it doesn’t stop at inspiration. Prevent Blindness also shares practical guidance on what an eye exam is, and how to plan for a visit, including insurance questions and what information to bring.
For many, access to eye care begins with a certified vision screening. According to Prevent Blindness:
- For older people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, one in four Americans 65 and older experiences a fall, the leading cause of injury among older adults. Impaired vision more than doubles the risk of a fall.
- In regards to children, without early detection and treatment, uncorrected vision disorders can impair child development, interfere with learning, and even lead to permanent vision loss, according to a report from the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness.