Gero Grundmann / Communication Art & Design

save your sight: a campaign to improve eye health

As we get older, our eyesight deteriorates. The problem for people over 45 is not simply loss of visual acuity but the real possibility that they could develop such eye conditions as glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy which pose a threat to health and well-being.

Regular eye check-ups will ensure that such conditions can be detected for early treatment. But according to The Guide Dogs for Blind Association, not enough for us take our eyesight seriously. As a result, eye-threatening illnesses remain undetected.

Vigilance required

"The challenge is to raise awareness about eye health and encourage people to take eye tests regularly and be more vigilant," says Paul Day of Guide Dogs, a charity which has expanded its remit in recent years from providing guide dogs for blind people to being an educator on eye health and ophthalmic research.

As part of its Healthy Eyes campaign, Guide Dogs teamed up with the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre to develop a new communication programme which aims to encourage people over 45 to be less complacent about their eye heath.

Research associate Gero Grundmann interviewed medical professionals and visually impaired people, studied award-winning healthcare campaigns and visited Finland and Germany for overseas comparisons in the early phases of his research. He concluded: "It is all about targeting people where it matters - at the point of denial."

Grundmann then developed a range of creative ideas designed to promote the message about eye health in the context of people's everyday lives - on the street, in the gym, at school, while driving or shopping.

The campaign is spearheaded by a high-impact communication idea entitled 'Number Plate' which encourages drivers to take an eye test before they lose their licence and get taken off the road. This can be expressed either in poster form or as a real number plate. A further concept expands the remit of fitness coaches to include healthier eyes with healthier bodies. 'Eye Coach' is a laminated information guide for fitness trainers to use during their work in gyms and health spas. It is available both as a complete manual and as a quick reference card.

For schools, a 'Little Optician' activity pack introduces eye health to pupils who can then in turn engage their parents in the issue. The pack includes playful materials to test for visual acuity, field of vision, blind spots, colour blindness and so on.

Feast your eyes

The three main aspects of the campaign aimed at drivers, fitness centres and schools are supported by additional communication materials. These include: recipe cards bearing the message 'feast your eyes' to encourage healthy eating to combat eye disease by increasing lutein levels; eye health information incorporated into packaging for protective eyewear such as sports goggles; and mirrors which reveal campaign messages when they steam up.

All facets of the programme have been evaluated by Guide Dogs, and key community and business partners have been identified to roll out the main campaign messages. "A whole new range of creative opportunities have been developed to enable us to move forward," says Paul Day of the Guide Dogs communication team.

research partner: The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

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