BRIDGEWATER, N.J.—Bausch + Lomb on Tuesday announced the launch of a new virtual reality (VR) tool that will allow eyecare professionals (ECPs) to experience the daily challenges that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) brings their patients with mild to more advanced stages of AMD.

The AMD Virtual Experience is scheduled to be unveiled today during the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) annual meeting, which runs June 21-25 in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve developed several initiatives to raise awareness around this condition,” Joseph Gordon, president, Consumer Health & Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb, said in the announcement. “Now, for the first time, we’ve created a platform that goes beyond traditional awareness and enables eye care professionals to see what life is like with AMD.”

Gordon also noted that B+L is continuously looking for creative ways to educate the public about eye health. “We hope by showing eyecare professionals their AMD patients’ struggles first-hand, it will encourage them to be even better stewards of care.” AOA attendees can experience the virtual reality tool by visiting the B+L booth (#155) during the AOA meeting.

AMD is a progressive eye disease that affects an estimated 13 million people, and is a leading cause of vision loss in people age 50 and older, according to the B+L announcement. Approximately one out of five people over the age of 65 will be diagnosed with the disease, characterized by the loss of central vision.

In a separate note to ECPs, Gordon called the first half of 2017 as “one of B+L’s busiest periods of innovation,” with five new products from the Vision Care and Consumer Healthcare businesses launched and the introduction of three new contact lenses this year: Bausch + Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism and Biotrue ONEday for Astigmatism contact lenses and the Zen RC scleral contact lens from our Specialty Vision Products business.