Bausch + Lomb and Prevent Blindness Launch Educational Campaign During Cataract Awareness Month

Organizations Also Launch Social Media Donation Program to Support Prevent Blindness and Broaden Patients’ Access to Cataract Surgery and Care During June’s Cataract Awareness Month

Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business, and Prevent Blindness today are joining forces during Cataract Awareness Month in June to educate the public and raise awareness of the symptoms, causes and treatment options for cataracts, the leading cause of vision loss in the United States and the leading cause of blindness worldwide.¹

Treatment options include cataract surgery, which is one of the most effective and common medical procedures with an overall success rate of 99 percent when performed in appropriate settings.² Approximately four million cataract surgeries are performed each year in the United States.³ However, anxiety around the operation itself is experienced by many cataract surgery patients leading up to the procedure.⁴

“As a leader in eye health, Bausch + Lomb is proud to raise awareness of this incredibly common eye condition and its treatment options, particularly following the interruptions seen in routine medical healthcare as a result of the pandemic,” said Joe Gordon, U.S. president, Bausch + Lomb. “We share this commitment with Prevent Blindness, an incredible organization that goes to extreme lengths to help people, and we look forward to working with them to provide people affected by cataracts with information and resources to support their care.”

Throughout June, Bausch + Lomb and Prevent Blindness will post content on their social media pages to share facts and helpful information about cataracts and cataract surgery. Bausch + Lomb will also donate $1* to Prevent Blindness sight-saving fund for every “share” or “like” of certain posts from the Bausch + Lomb Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BauschandLomb/ during the month of June. Proceeds will support Prevent Blindness’ education and advocacy work aimed at ensuring all people have access to cataract surgery and care.

“As the population in America continues to age, the number of cataract cases are projected to increase by 50 percent to 38.5 million by 2032,⁵” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO, Prevent Blindness. “It is critical that we educate early and often about cataracts and the effectiveness of cataract surgery.

Through this campaign with Bausch + Lomb, we are providing resources and information to help people affected by cataracts understand their treatment options.”

For information on cataracts, visit the Prevent Blindness website at https://preventblindness.org/cataract/. For a listing of vision care organizations and services that provide financial assistance programs in English or Spanish, visit https://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/.About

Cataracts and Cataract Surgery

A cataract is the clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye most commonly caused by aging.⁶ An ophthalmic surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear, artificial implant called an intraocular lens (IOL).⁷ According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, cataract surgery is one of the safest, most common and effective surgical procedures performed in the United States.⁸ In most cases, people experience improved vision after the procedure.⁸

About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc., is solely focused on helping people see better to live better. Its core businesses include over-the-counter products, dietary supplements, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Bausch + Lomb develops, manufactures and markets one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry, which is available in approximately 100 countries. For more information, visit www.bausch.com.

Forward-looking Statements

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(which may increase). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Bausch Health undertakes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect actual outcomes, unless required by law.

References:

1. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/basics/ced/index.html#:~:text=external%20icon-,Cataract,can%20be%20present%20at%20birth. Accessed April 2, 2021.
2. Market Scope 2019 Annual Sponsored US Cataract Surgeon Survey Report.
3. Market Scope Q3 manufacturers survey.
4. Ramirez DA, Brodie FL, Rose-Nussbaumer J, Ramanathan S. Anxiety in patients undergoing cataract surgery: a pre- and postoperative comparison. Clin Ophthalmol. 2017;11:1979-1986. Published 2017 Nov 10. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S146135
5. Prevent Blindness. Retrieved from: https://preventblindness.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Future_of_Vision_final_0.pdf Accessed May 6, 2021.
6. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Retrieved from https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-cataracts. Accessed March 20, 2021.
7. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Retrieved from https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-cataract-surgery. Accessed April 2, 2021
8. National Eye Institute Website. Retrieved from https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts/cataract-surgery. Accessed April 2, 2021.

*Bausch + Lomb will donate $1 to the organization Prevent Blindness for every Facebook like or share, up to $50,000, from 6/1/2021 through 6/30/2021.

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Download a copy of the Bausch + Lomb and Prevent Blindness Cataract release.