Bausch + Lomb Launches Cataract Education Web Site

Actress Florence Henderson to Share Her Experiences

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company, announced today that it has launched a web site to educate the estimated 20 million aging baby boomers and seniors who are currently living with cataracts in the U.S. The web site, www.cataracteducation.com, informs visitors about what causes cataracts, describes how they are treated and emphasizes the importance of visiting your eye doctor regularly.

Broadway, film and TV actress Florence Henderson will be featured on the web site. Ms. Henderson, who is currently working with Bausch + Lomb, recently had cataract surgery with Bausch + Lomb’s Crystalens® intraocular lens, and she will share her experiences with visitors to the web site. Ms. Henderson is best known for her role as Carol Brady in the iconic television series The Brady Bunch, which ran on network television from 1969 to 1974 and continues in syndication today. She has enjoyed a storied entertainment career that has spanned five decades and is a contestant on ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars, premiering later this month.

“I recently had cataract surgery and had the Crystalens implanted. When something works for me like Crystalens has, I like to share my experience. I am happy when telling my story helps empower, inspire and motivate people to take care of themselves. It is important for people over 50 to understand what a cataract is and what they can do about it,” said Ms. Henderson.

The web site will emphasize a number of things that people over the age of 50 should consider when thinking about their eye health including getting regular eye checkups, what a cataract is, living with cataracts, what to ask your surgeon and other key information that will help patients make an informed decision about their eye health.

“As we have begun to get to know Ms. Henderson and the experience that she had with our Crystalens in cataract surgery, we thought that creating a web site that gives some basic information for patients was a very good idea. People can learn what she went through and that may help them in their own path toward better eye health,” said Amy Jacobs, director, Global Marketing for Crystalens.

Last week, Bausch + Lomb announced that it is working with Ms. Henderson in an integrated marketing campaign for Crystalens that includes national print, online and local television advertising.

Approximately three million cataract surgeries are performed in the U.S. every year. A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens in the eye. When one forms, the natural lens in the patient’s eye is surgically replaced by an intraocular lens. Research indicates that only a small fraction of people realize that not all intraocular lenses are the same. The research also indicates that a number of patients are willing to pay a little extra money in order to get the best quality vision.

“Florence Henderson is obviously a very active woman. There are many vision correction options for the patient who is over 50 years old. When I examined Florence, I realized she was a candidate for the Crystalens. We discussed how it would help her vision up close, far away and everything in between. She’s doing very well since her surgery,” said Dr. James Khodabakhsh of the Beverly Hills Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, California.

Crystalens is the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens. Unlike the standard cataract replacement lenses, Crystalens is designed to not only eliminate the patient’s cataract but also to give full range of vision so that the patient can see near, far and everything in between. Many Crystalens patients hardly if ever need their glasses or contacts again.

For more information about the Crystalens, please visit www.crystalens.com