Some months ago the optical journals carried an announcement about National Eye Week. This included an illustration of the proposed poster for the national bill board campaign, featuring a baby. It built upon the most successful slogan ever used in eye care in this country, 'you only have one pair of eyes, look after them!'. The impact was powerful, giving a clear and understandable message to the public. Unfortunately ideas appear to have changed and the actual campaign is a promotion for contact lenses with a less than clear message. The strap line is far from dominant. Equally puzzling is the poster for practice use. A funereal purple, it carries a message about macular degeneration that can only be described as frightening. While this is a legitimate advertising strategy optometrists may be less than happy to have patients encouraged to have an eye examination by fear of a disease process that has no cure. Added to this is the tenuous claim by Seven Seas that one of their products may alleviate macular degeneration. Both these campaigns raise the question as to how far sponsors of generic campaigns should be pandered to or allowed to dictate the content of the advertising. Acknowledgement is one thing, risking independence as an eye care promotion body is quite another.
It seems that every week now has some special cause attached to it. This week has been no exception having been designated National Eye Week. However, it appears that many members of the profession and industry seem to be unaware of this momentous event, one can only hope that the impact on the general public will be greater. A visit to the Eyecare Information Service web site reveals that a massive poster campaign has been mounted promoting contact lenses. Individual practices have been sent a smaller poster which encourages people to have eye examinations by telling them that age-related macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness. In addition we are told that there will be local coverage of the importance of eye examinations with emphasis on children's vision.