• September 16, 2009

Bausch & Lomb is launching an ad campaign for a product for cataracts that has to be implanted surgically. The direct-to-consumer advertising campaign touts Crystalens, an intraocular lens, to baby boomers and seniors in nine U.S. media markets.

The company says it will run Crystalens ads on national cable networks in four New York markets: Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and New York City as well as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., and Tampa and West Palm Beach, Fla. There will also be print ads.

The advertising encourages patients to talk to their ophthalmologist about whether they are candidates for Crystalens, or to visit the Crystalens Web site to learn more.

B&L says there are three million cataract surgeries every year. Advertising research indicated that only a small fraction of people considering cataract surgery realize that not all intraocular lenses are the same. The research also indicated that a number of patients are willing to pay a little extra money in order to get the best vision.--Karl Greenberg