Think About Your Eyes, a national public awareness campaign aimed at educating consumers on the benefits of vision health, has partnered with multiple state optometric associations to enroll each active, practicing member, significantly expanding the number of doctors listed on the Think About Your Eyes online practice locator and improving consumer access to eyecare providers and vision care.
The South Dakota Optometric Society was the first to enroll its full membership in the Think About Your Eyes State Leadership Program in August, 2014. Since then, the optometric associations of West Virginia, Mississippi, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Washington have also become program partners. The addition of approximately 2,900 members of state associations and the AOA brings the total number of doctor listings on the locator to over 7,500.
This new phase of eyecare provider engagement for the Think About Your Eyes campaign is launching on the heels of an overwhelmingly successful year in 2014, with results that include:
- A 5.2 percent increase in total eye exams
- A 6.2 percent increase in first time patients
- An 11.3 percent increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions or referrals written
- An over 25 percent increase in eye diseases diagnosed since the national advertising began
The Think About Your Eyes website, which has received more than 1.2 million visitors since its advertising launched, features the comprehensive locator tool where visitors can easily find local Think About Your Eyesmember eyecare providers.
Under the Think About Your Eyes State Leadership Program, the cost of a basic listing on its website locator is covered in full by the state association. Doctors are then encouraged to upgrade to a Premium listing at a discounted rate. In the other 42 states , eyecare providers can purchase individual listings on the Think About Your Eyes locator at www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com/enroll.
Doctors who are members of their state associations and AOA always receive the best available price at www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com/aoa.
This growth in provider listings coincides with the launch of the 2015 Think About Your Eyes advertising campaign to educate consumers on the benefits of vision health, which began on February 2. Presented by a partnership of 17 industry-leading organizations, including The Vision Council and the American Optometric Association, the first phase of this year’s campaign spotlights the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams and their impact on overall health, as well as the symptoms of eye strain.
With over 5,000 television spots across 22 targeted cable networks, 540,000 radio spots running on more than 5,200 broadcast stations – plus Pandora and Spotify online radio – and digital ads placed on desktop, mobile and tablet platforms, the advertising will reach an estimated 129 million adults and generate 1.1 billion impressions throughout 2015. The Think About Your Eyes campaign encourages consumers to schedule an annual eye exam by visiting thinkaboutyoureyes.com.
For more information or to learn how your state association can get involved, contact Jon Torrey, Think About Your Eyes director, professional relations, via email at jtorrey@thinkaboutyoureyes.com or by phone at 703-548-6736. To list your practice on the practice locator, visit www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com/enroll. Members of the AOA and a state association should visit www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com/aoa.