AS WE HAVE READ IN PRESBYOPIA PHYSICIAN and elsewhere, 2022 is the year we will see the introduction of eyedrops to eliminate the need to wear reading glasses. There are three products from three drug companies, all expected to arrive on the market within the next two years. What makes this so interesting is that all three of the treatments will likely have an almost identical mechanism of action. Even more interesting—and from a business standpoint, and a possibly unprecedented situation—it is highly likely that all three of the products will have nearly identical business models.

Because of this we will be gearing up for a fascinating case study opportunity over the next year. How can three medications, all eyedrops and with mechanisms of action so similar that they could reasonably be considered identical, differentiate themselves in the marketplace? Not only that, but these three medications are in a product category that heretofore did not even exist. Blowing the launch of even one of these products could tank the whole game. This puts additional pressure on the executive teams at Allergan, Visus and Orasis, not to mention their respective marketing agencies. How do you introduce an entirely new category of treatment?

Over the past many years I have had the great privilege to participate in the creation of brand new products in almost all sectors of eye care. One thing I learned from sitting at the table and listening to the sales and marketing executives is that a deep and very intense knowledge of who will use the product is an essential part of bringing a product to market. This is a unique aspect of the presbyopia market: we really do not need to do much research to find potential candidates, do we? Pretty much every adult over the age of 45 in the developed world is a potential candidate for a presbyopia–correcting eyedrop. The key, then, is to determine what smaller segments of this demographic will be more likely to use these medications, and then design programs to reach them.

Patient Populations

“Everybody” is an exaggeration, but some segmentation of this demographic is obvious. Anybody who has great distance vision without glasses or contacts will rebel against any glasses whatsoever. It will be even easier to convince those in this segment who have already misplaced or lost their first 20 pairs of cheaters. Ditto contact lens wearers. About 10 years ago I would have stopped right here and called it a day. Now, however, we must also include everyone over the age of 45 who spends the majority of their day looking at a computer. Those whose primary job involves staring at a screen all day long often find both reading glasses and progressive bifocals to be as much a source of frustration as they are a solution. A fair estimate is that this particular demographic probably adds another 15 or 20 million candidates for presbyopia-correcting eyedrops as soon as their everyday glasses no longer do the job at work.

Still, at the end of the day, one of the hardest parts of bringing a new product to market is nearly a nonfactor when it comes to presbyopia-correcting eyedrops. The patient population is largely self-identifying, and they are desperate for a solution that does not include wearing glasses. All of the heavy lifting of identifying the market has been done by the customers themselves.

Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

Let’s assume—very reasonably—that the majority of marketing will be direct-to-consumer (DTC). The easiest way to reach candidates is where they live: on their devices! All three of the expected products will be targeting early and mid-stage presbyopia candidates. These groups spend an inordinate amount of time online. While they are just old enough to not be considered “digital natives,” we can definitely think of them as first-generation immigrants to the digital world. As such, they are quite comfortable seeking solutions to their problems using Google or another search engine. I imagine a “digital first” marketing strategy from each company in this space, most likely using an online advertising platform as a way to reach potential candidates.

Social Media

Those on the younger end of this population, say 40 to 50 years of age, are almost all on at least one social media platform. Indeed, the vast majority of this age group will more than likely be utilizing all of the “big three” platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In my office I tell my patients that presbyopia is inevitable. With a big smile on my face and a chuckle in my voice I tell them that the only way to avoid presbyopia is by “checking out”—a very bad life management strategy! Naturally, the same is true for every celebrity, and it is no less true for those individuals known as social media “influencers.” For me the unifying characteristic of this group is that no amount of personal vanity is so great that it prevents them from capitalizing on their fame and making money.

Think about it. George Clooney is 60 years old. Have you ever seen him wearing reading glasses? Jennifer Aniston has been a part of everyone’s digital world for about 20 years. She’s 52 years old! I envision a “last person standing” race to get Jennifer Aniston to wear reading glasses for 30 seconds, use an eyedrop, and smile her way to freedom on Instagram. Can’t you see that too? Jay-Z is 51 years old, and Kanye West is 44. For goodness’ sake, Beyoncé just turned 40! Talk about an all-star lineup of presbyopia-stricken jetsetters. We may certainly see some of them, or their peers, in traditional media like television and newspaper ads. But my bet is that they will be inescapable on social media.

Medical treatment of presbyopia is a brand new space in the marketplace. It’s a new way to address a very old problem. I predict we will see some very old, very traditional marketing, especially when it is geared toward the 55 and older part of the presbyopia population. However, in this very new world, I think we can all expect to see an increasingly digital approach to marketing all three of the expected pharmacologic options. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will be ground zero for this digital approach.

After all, if it works for George, Jennifer and Beyoncé, it’s gotta work for everybody, right? ■

Dr. White is a cataract and refractive surgeon practicing in Cleveland, OH. Among the first LASIK surgeons in the U.S., he is eagerly awaiting the arrival of presbyopia-correcting eyedrops.