New Eye Care Professional Education Campaigns, Retail Partner Launches and Team Expansion Reveal Continued Investment and Outlook
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 18, 2019—Multiple new CooperVision initiatives in major world markets are providing a glimpse at the company’s commitment to addressing the global myopia epidemic. Central to the effort are programs designed to increase adoption of its innovative MiSight® 1 day product, which is the world’s first 1-day soft contact lens proven to substantially slow the progression of myopia in children.1,2
Eye care professional (ECP)-focused standards development and educational programs are taking root in Australia and New Zealand. A CooperVision-led working group of leading optometrists and ophthalmologists was inaugurated this past December, seeking to work with professional associations to establish a standard of care for young myopes. The company is seeing record enrollment among ECPs for this month’s “Myopia Management – The Time to Act is Now” CPD-accredited continuing education events in Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane. In parallel, MiSight 1 day continues to grow strongly, as measured by practices and ECPs fitting the lens, as well as the number of children wearing it.
Across Canada, CooperVision has launched a series of educational workshops and tools for ECPs, including two recent webinars on myopia management with prominent experts that together drew nearly 2,000 attendees. Brochures, chairside aids, posters and even animated videos are now available to help professionals and staff speak with parents about the issue and explain MiSight® 1 day’s role. These are available to the more than 1,200 practices currently authorized to prescribe the lens. In addition, the company has begun a direct-to-consumer digital media campaign, raising awareness of myopia, its telltale signs and long-term consequences, and encouraging conversations with ECPs.
In the United Kingdom, MiSight® 1 day has become available for the first time at Boots Opticians, the eyecare subsidiary of Boots UK, the country’s largest pharmacy-led health and beauty chain. This development complements expanded access to MiSight® 1 day at independent ECPs. In addition, the company has named Mark Chatham, SMC (tech), FBDO CL, FBCLA, FIACLE as Professional Services Consultant – MiSight® 1 day for the U.K. and Ireland.
“There’s considerable attention being paid to myopia management around the world, and we’re proud to be a part of many of those collaborative efforts, such as the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition,” said Juan Carlos Aragón, OD, President of the CooperVision Specialty EyeCare Division.
“The surging popularity of the topic is creating varying degrees of promises and claims, and we want to ensure that ECPs are focused on clinically-proven approaches to addressing the issue with children. That exists in the form of MiSight® 1 day contact lenses. We’re ensuring that ECPs have the knowledge and resources to help transform lives with this visionary method to substantially slow the progression of myopia in children. By acting today, they’ll be having an impact for decades to come.”
The CooperVision Specialty EyeCare Division continues to appoint industry veterans to key worldwide leadership roles in support of MiSight® 1 day brand and other specialty offerings.
James Gardner, a 25-year veteran of the contact lens sector, has been named Vice President, Global Myopia Management. He has been a CooperVision sales and marketing executive since 1999, holding European, U.S. and global executive roles.
Claire Venezia has joined the company as Director of Global Marketing, MiSight® 1 day and Specialty Products. She was previously the Head of Marketing for Specialty Vision Products at Bausch + Lomb.
In addition, MiSight® 1 day Professional Services leads have been recently appointed in Spain, France and the BeNeLux region, responsible for market expansion. They will focus on training ECPs in the rise and risks of pediatric myopia and the benefits of MiSight® 1 day technology. Because Spain has been of the longest-established markets for the lens, the company will place more resources there to assist ECPs in developing myopia management best practices, which may be applied regionally and globally.
The prevalence of myopia is projected to increase from approximately two billion people worldwide in 2010 to almost five billion people in 20503, bringing with it near- and long-term health challenges. Not only does it create blurred vision, but also increases the likelihood of conditions later in life such as glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy if not addressed.
In a global multicenter study, MiSight® 1 day has been shown to reduce the progression of myopia by 59% (SE) and 52% (eye elongation) over three years when compared to a group of children wearing a single vision 1-day lens.2
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1 MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are currently available for sale in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordic Region, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. MiSight® 1 day is not approved in the United States.
2 Chamberlain P, Logan N, Jones D, Gonzalez-Meijome J, Saw S-M, Young G. Clinical evaluation of a dual-focus myopia control 1 day soft contact lens: 3-year results. Presented at: British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference, Liverpool, England.
3 Holden et al, Ophthalmology 2016.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly, two-week and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit coopervision.com.
About The Cooper Companies
The Cooper Companies, Inc. ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Cooper has more than 12,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.
mike@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-545-1815