Johnson & Johnson Vision is deploying solutions around the world to help address the challenges facing eye care professionals (ECPs) and their patients amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

These support the broader efforts that Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, is taking to curb the crisis, including development of a vaccine and providing equipment, products, and financial donations to support organizations and healthcare workers globally.

“All of us at Johnson & Johnson are guided by Our Credo in our approach to supporting patients, health care professionals, customers, and the global community we serve. COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the landscape of 2020, but Johnson & Johnson was built for times like these,” said Shlomi Nachman, Company Group Chairman, Cardiovascular & Specialty Solutions Group and Johnson & Johnson Vision. “The Johnson & Johnson Vision organization is looking to the future with optimism. We’re using this time to listen, learn and lead – helping professionals and practices prepare for recovery to ensure patients everywhere are able to prioritize their eye health.”

Initiatives launched in direct response to COVID-19 include:

 Supporting our customers as business owners and employers. Tailoring approach by region and customer need, the company is working to minimize new burdens placed on ECPs to allow them to focus on their patients, business, and families. This includes offering payment terms extensions, contract extensions, and rebate programs, as appropriate.

 Introducing new virtual professional education resources, providing live trainings, webinars, and on-demand podcasts to help practitioners stay up-to-date on product innovations, clinical techniques, and resources for small business owners. Johnson & Johnson Vision’s professional education teams have trained more than 60,000 ECPs across the globe since January 2020.

 Supporting the next generation of ECPs, collaborating with professional bodies worldwide to support students. For example, Johnson & Johnson Vision partnered with the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) to create virtual educational sessions to help optometry students meet graduation requirements when academic institutions faced interruptions that threatened graduation for the entire optometry class of 2020 nationwide.

 Providing new digital resources for patients. Johnson & Johnson Vision is collaborating with experts in all regions to develop educational resources and materials for ECPs, consumers, media, and government officials, offering educational content on contact lens safety at ACUVUE.com/coronavirus, hosting a Live Chat Agent to address real-time patient questions and a full program of expert webinars for ECPs in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Johnson & Johnson Vision launched a 51-day education campaign on eye health, infection prevention, and safe contact lens wear in Asia Pacific, and is collaborating with the Centre of Ocular Research & Education (CORE) to educate on contact lens safety in the U.S.

“As markets begin a slow return to business, Johnson & Johnson Vision’s efforts are shifting to focus on how we can help eye care professionals and practice leaders re-open safely for patients and employees alike,” says Dr. Rajesh K. Rajpal, Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Clinical and Medical Affairs, Johnson & Johnson Vision. “Then, how we can quickly pivot to better serve the practices of tomorrow – using what we’ve learned through this shared experience. That’s the next horizon for innovation at Johnson & Johnson Vision.”