News Briefs Archive

What’s Next: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care’s New North America President Shares Insights

By Margery Weinstein
Executive Editor,
Review of Optometric Business

August 21, 2019

The contact-lens market, like the rest of the optical industry, is becoming more competitive, with consumers having more options than ever for how, and from whom, they purchase their contacts.

A conversation with Thomas Swinnen, the new president, North America, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, illuminated some of those challenges–and opportunities.

Swinnen joined Johnson & Johnson in 2001 through Janssen Belgium. He most recently held the position of eye health integration lead, overseeing the successful integration of the Surgical Vision business into Johnson & Johnson Vision. He has also served as managing director for the contact-lens business in developed markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and as managing director for the contact-lens business in Latin America.

Thomas Swinnen, the new president, North America, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care

“We need to continue doing work advocating for eye health,” Swinnen said, speaking to ROB at Optometry’s Meeting, the American Optometric Association’s Annual Conference, in St. Louis in July. “World-class innovation is absolutely essential and sits at the core of our company.”

Innovation
That breakthrough innovation is exemplified by the company’s new ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions, a lens that darkens and brightens to accommodate varying levels of light, all the while preserving the wearer’s natural eye color and comfort. Innovation also can be seen in the company’s push to accommodate consumers’ demand for convenience in how they obtain their lenses.

Swinnen says the development of exciting new products, such as a contact lens, currently in research and development, that is embedded with an antihistamine, and easing the purchasing process for consumers, is being done without sacrificing patient safety or interfering in the doctor-patient relationship.

“We need to make sure there is no tradeoff between convenience and standard of care,” he emphasized. “This is about the doctor-patient relationship, and ensuring that it’s at the center of everything we do.”

Meeting Patient Needs & Consumer Expectations
It was with those goals in mind that in 2018 Johnson & Johnson North America created MyAcuvue, a subscription model that allows doctors to link patients to a contact-lens subscription program while also allowing them to maintain ownership of the sale and the professional relationship with the patient.

Swinnen says that such programs also enable the company to meet the expectations of the company’s youngest consumers, who are accustomed to having the option of buying products through seamless subscription programs. That new approach to selling contacts is complemented by the company’s research and development, which Swinnen notes has something for all ages.

“The way Millennials require connectivity and engagement is different from the expectations of Baby Boomers,” he said. “What we’re moving into, or what ECPs are moving into, is providing healthcare in the life journey from young to old.”

Swinnen says that while products like ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions, and the antihistamine contact lens in development, are useful to consumers of all ages, they are particularly helpful to those patients struggling with light sensitivity and ocular allergies.

Walking the Walk
To emphasize the importance of every person getting an annual comprehensive eye exam, Swinnen said that Johnson & Johnson Vision Care was the first company to sign the AOA 2020 Employer Pledge, in which companies pledge to ensure all of their employees are encouraged to receive an annual comprehensive eye exam. “If we think it’s important, it also should be important for our own employees,” he said.

 

Margery Weinstein is executive editor of Review of Optometric Business. To contact her: mweinstein@jobson.com

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