FORT WORTH, Texas—Alcon is launching a digital campaign, “See What You’re Missing,” to empower people to overcome the “FOMO” (fear of missing out) that can be associated with living with cataracts, according to an announcement last week. The campaign, launched during Cataract Awareness Month, “will arm millions of Americans with information to help on their journey from cataract diagnosis to treatment,” Alcon said. The efforts are part of an existing multi-year “My Cataracts” educational initiative, and will be included on the My Cataracts Facebook page.

Alcon said the campaign is based on findings from a recent survey that showed people with cataracts reporting that they feel less independent, more fearful and frustrated about missing out on things that bring them joy, such as traveling or spending time with family, the announcement noted. In addition, while surgery is the only way to treat cataracts, one in five people surveyed said they believe there are non-surgical treatment options, Alcon said.

“We remain committed to partnering with eyecare professionals to provide direct-to-patient education that will support and improve treatment conversations happening in doctors’ offices around the country,” Brian O’Neal, Alcon’s head of marketing, U.S. Surgical, said in the announcement. “We found through our research that many people who need cataract surgery are not aware of their treatment options. We hope our continued efforts will arm patients with the tools and resources needed to feel more confident in speaking with their doctors about ways to treat cataracts and other vision conditions.”

In addition to social media efforts, Alcon, a division of Novartis, will offer the following throughout Cataract Awareness Month to support patients and eyecare professionals:

• Partnership with Dr. Bonnie Henderson, a world-renowned cataract surgeon and clinical professor of Ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, to participate in television and radio interviews that will educate patients on cataract surgery options.
• A national print advertisement in the June issue of AARP Magazine that promotes MyCataracts.com and provides the 1-844-MYCATARACT telephone number.
• Digital content on MyAlcon.com that ophthalmologists can leverage to help educate their patients on treatment options. This content will also be available for optometrists later this month.
• A lunch symposium at the annual AOA Optometry’s Meeting on June 22 from 12 to 1 p.m. in Denver featuring a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kristopher May with Drs. John Berdahl, Justin Schweitzer and Mitch Ibach discussing collaborative care and new cataract technologies.