ALEXANDRIA, V.A.—WestGroupe is the newest industry partner to support Think About Your Eyes, a national public awareness campaign that educates consumers on the benefits of vision health. This new addition to the Think About Your Eyes campaign brings the number of industry leadership partner organizations to 18.

The growth of the campaign, an industry initiative presented by The Vision Council and the American Optometric Association, highlights the increasing importance of getting an annual comprehensive eye exam.

“At WestGroupe, we are dedicated to defining future standards in the optical business by developing, creating and supporting innovative products and services,” said WestGroupe’s president, Michael Suliteanu. “It is in support of that mission that we have partnered with the Think About Your Eyes campaign. It is essential that we continue to spread the message of comprehensive eye exams, and we’re thrilled to join other industry leaders in making annual eye exams a standard part of people’s lives.”

Since the campaign’s national launch, eye exams have increased 5.2 percent, leading to an additional 9.1 million annual eye exams and the diagnosis of more than 1 million previously undiagnosed eye diseases, The Vision Council said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to include WestGroupe as the newest partner organization for the Think About Your Eyes campaign,” said Dave Plogmann, managing director of Think About Your Eyes. “The industry response to this campaign has been building, and the support of WestGroupe, and our other partner organizations, further reinforces the importance of consumer eye health and the dedication from the industry’s leaders.”

The Think About Your Eyes campaign has expanded its practice locator with multiple state optometric associations enrolling every active, practicing member. These states include Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. Due to this increase in enrollment, the number of doctors listed on the Think About Your Eyes online practice locator has significantly increased, reaching over 8,900 and further improving consumer access to eyecare providers as well as vision care.

The Think About Your Eyes initiative uses national television, radio, print and online/digital advertising to share messages about eye disease, eye strain, children’s vision and the positive effects regular eye exams have on overall health. Current partners include The Vision Council, American Optometric Association, All About Vision, Gunnar Optiks, National Vision, Inc. (NVI), SpecialEyes, SPY, Hilco, Walman Optical, Transitions, Fatheadz, Chemistrie Eyewear, Essilor, Luxottica Group, Eschenbach, Visionworks, Alcon and WestGroupe.