|
EYE CARE PROFESSIONALS EMBRACING ACUVUE ADVANCE® BRAND CONTACT LENSES WITH HYDRACLEAR® EXPERIENCE RAPID PRACTICE GROWTH
Study shows ACUVUE ADVANCE® with HYDRACLEAR®
helps increase referrals and strengthens relationships with patients
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., September 9, 2004 –
Six months after the introduction of ACUVUE ADVANCE®
Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR®, Eye Care Professionals
(ECPs) participating in a market test report the new lens has fueled
practice growth, improved referral and retention rates, and strengthened
relationships with patients, according to a new survey released
today by VISTAKON®, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision
Care, Inc., at Vision Expo West International in Las Vegas. In the
survey of 150 ECPs, 86 percent agreed that it has contributed to
the growth of their contact lens business, with as many reporting
that it has increased new patient referrals (85%) and played a role
in the growth of their overall practice (87%). “Word has gotten
out that ACUVUE ADVANCE® with HYDRACLEAR® provides
superior comfort and as a result, I’ve had a lot of new patients
coming in to try them,” said, Loretta Szczotka-Flynn, O.D.,
MS, F.A.A.O., Director of the Contact Lens Service at University
Hospitals of Cleveland. “This lens has also helped me better
satisfy my existing patients and even convince some dropouts to
give contacts another try.”
Generating Business Growth
The practices of ECPs surveyed have grown an average of eight percent
over the last six months. The ECPs who proactively recommend the
lens to their patients report significantly higher rates of practice
growth than ECPs who do not. Those who proactively recommend ACUVUE®
ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR® have
seen their practices grow an average of 10 percent, compared to
an average of only five percent among those who do not proactively
recommend it.
“ACUVUE ADVANCE® has distinct
advantages over other contact lens brands,” said J. Pat Cummings,
O.D., Vice President, Professional Affairs, VISTAKON®, Division
of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. “The comfort that
HYDRACLEAR® technology provides, especially at the end of
the day, combined with the highest level of UV blocking*, leads
to patient satisfaction. Our research shows that once people try
these lenses, they are very likely to buy them and to consider them
a good value for the money.”
The Lens of Choice
In just six months, ACUVUE ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses
with HYDRACLEAR® has become the preferred lens of nearly two-thirds
(62%) of the ECPs surveyed. It is their first choice when fitting
new, current and former lens wearers of all ages:
- Two-thirds (63%) say it is their top choice for new teen contact
lens wearers.
- Almost three-quarters (71%) consider ACUVUE ADVANCE®
with HYDRACLEAR® their preferred brand for new adult contact
lens wearers.
- Eight in 10 ECPs (82%) choose it as the best brand for lapsed
contact lens wearers.
- Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) select the lens over other brands when
fitting contact lens wearers with comfort concerns.
“I recommend ACUVUE ADVANCE®
with HYDRACLEAR® to all of my patients, including new and
current patients, teens, drop-outs and ‘problem’ lens
wearers,” said James A. Simonson, O.D., Lens Crafters Lease
Holder, Littleton, CO. “My goal is to keep my patients happy,
as well as to reduce the likelihood of them joining the 2.7 million
patients who drop out of contact lenses each year.
About the Survey
The “ACUVUE ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses with
HYDRACLEAR® Market Survey 6-Month Follow-Up” was a telephone
survey conducted by Rothstein-Tauber Directions for Decisions, an
independent market research firm, from July 7 through July 19, 2004.
Data were drawn from a total of 150 ECP responses.
About ACUVUE ADVANCE® Brand
Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR®
ACUVUE ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR®
represents a new category of contact lenses. ACUVUE ADVANCE®
contact lenses deliver exceptionally long-lasting comfort and is
the first contact lens to incorporate HYDRACLEAR® technology.
HYDRACLEAR® is our brand name for our proprietary technology
that brings together a remarkable moisture rich wetting agent with
high performance base materials to form clear, wettable lenses resulting
in a unique, silky, soft feel. ACUVUE ADVANCE® contact
lenses help keep eyes looking white and feeling fresh for most wearers’
longest days. Just four months following its launch, ACUVUE®
ADVANCE® became the second-most prescribed contact lens in
the U.S.
About Johnson & Johnson Vision Care,
Inc.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. includes The Spectacle Lens
Group, VISTAKON® and VISTAKON® Pharmaceuticals Divisions.
The Spectacle Lens Group designs, develops, manufactures and markets
spectacle lenses, with a focus on Progressive Addition Lens products
for presbyopes. VISTAKON® specializes in disposable contact
lens brands, including ACUVUE® and ACUVUE® 2; 1•DAY
ACUVUE® Brand; ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL Contact Lenses
for people with presbyopia; ACUVUE® Brand TORIC, for
people with astigmatism; ACUVUE® 2 COLOURS™ Brand
Contact Lenses, and ACUVUE® ADVANCE Brand Contact Lenses with
HYDRACLEAR®. VISTAKON® Pharmaceuticals, LLC, formed in
2004, markets three prescription ophthalmic agents: QUIXIN®
(levofloxacin ophthalmic solution) 0.5%, BETIMOL® (timolol ophthalmic
solution) and ALAMAST® (pemirolast potassium ophthalmic solution).
|
 
|
