New Data and Insights Help Shape Better Clinical Outcomes;
Companies Will Celebrate Eye Care Professionals as Contact Lens Heroes
SAN RAMON, Calif., February 27, 2020—When the Dutch Contact Lens Congress (NCC) opens its doors next month, attendees will immerse themselves in discussing how contact lens advances factor into the rapidly evolving world of eye health. CooperVision and Procornea, part of CooperVision Specialty EyeCare, today announced plans to have a significant presence at the conference. Both will showcase new investments in research, funding, practice tools, products and partnerships designed to help eye care professionals (ECPs) navigate change and shape better clinical outcomes.
“Evolution brings considerable opportunities for professionals, practices, researchers and patients alike, yet can also create challenges in trying to assess new technologies and methods. Ensuring they’re backed by sound science is paramount,” said CooperVision’s Marcella McParland, MCOptom, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, Professional Affairs Director for EMEA. “Worldwide, CooperVision is undertaking significant initiatives to generate and disseminate data-centric information and insights to ECPs for everyone’s benefit. We’re excited to share many of them for the first time at NCC 2020.”
NCC has grown since its founding in 2006 to become Europe’s largest contact lens congress. Running from March 15-16 in Veldhoven, The Netherlands, it is expected to draw 1,900 participants from more than 20 countries.
Providing Research Insights and New Funding Sources
More than a dozen CooperVision-affiliated papers and posters were accepted by event organizers. All reflect the company’s global leadership in multiple facets of ocular and clinical science, including innovative methods to address the global myopia epidemic1. Research findings include the analysis of opportunities to increase parental and ECP understanding of the disease, proven myopia management outcomes with the MiSight® 1 day contact lens, and myopia management advancements using orthokeratology.
The company’s scientists and research partners will speak to developing technology solutions to guide ECPs in making the right contact lens selection for better patient satisfaction. They will also lecture on developments in silicone hydrogel lens design and manufacturing that underpin brand preference and wearing experiences. In addition, CooperVision will share studies that identify behaviors and attitudes among new contact lens wearers that can help counteract the dropout conundrum for the good of the entire profession.
At the start of NCC, CooperVision will release more details about the return of its Science and Technology Awards, which brings together independent researchers and CooperVision experts to explore new dimensions in eye care. The 2020 program will solicit research proposals concerning presbyopia and myopia. Since the program’s launch in 2014, submissions have received $2 million USD in seedling and translational research grants.
Developing Advanced Products for Optimal Outcomes
Within the NCC exhibition hall, attendees will be able to experience inventive products that are helping ECPs meet the growing needs of their practices and patients.
Procornea’s stand will concentrate on the rising prevalence and severity of myopia1, and the company’s range of contact lenses designed for myopia management. This includes the groundbreaking CooperVision MiSight® 1 day contact lens, which is clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia in children2.
The lens, which is offered by Procornea in the BeNeLux region, is attracting surging global interest. Now available in 20 countries, it recently became the first and only product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration3 for slowing the progression of myopia in children, who at initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age4. Age ranges for fitting vary in other parts of the world where the product has been approved and prescribed to thousands of children. MiSight® 1 day lenses have been recognized as one of the most innovative developments in eye health by the likes of the British Contact Lens Association and international eyecare industry media.
The CooperVision stand will focus on contact lens heroes, celebrating how ECPs and the company are collaborating to take on some of the greatest opportunities and challenges in eye health. These include enhanced methods to correct presbyopia with exciting options from the Biofinity® and clariti® 1 day families and the no-cost, downloadable OptiExpert™ app. The popular digital tool includes straightforward CooperVision multifocal and toric contact lens calculators, and oxygen profiles that display transmissibility for a select range of lenses.
CooperVision experts will also be shining a spotlight on ECPs who are successfully transitioning to 1 day silicone hydrogel contact lenses. One component of that shift is the ever-increasing strength of clariti® 1 day offerings, thanks to improved design, expanded prescription ranges, and ongoing studies that increase understanding of the category. In parallel, CooperVision teams on the stand will be sharing insights about enhancing aftercare to minimize wearer dropout—a longtime category-wide dilemma with solutions emerging from industry and ECP partnerships.
Partnering to Increase Public Awareness
The Eye Fund (Oogfonds) and Procornea are now collaborating to encourage parents to have their children’s eyes and vision checked regularly. The campaign kicked off in January with a special emphasis on myopia. It has already garnered considerable broadcast media attention and will extend through 2020.
That effort complements myopia-specific public awareness and advocacy programs from CooperVision elsewhere in the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and the United States. The company is also a founding member of the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition and serves on its Board of Directors.
“NCC has become a preeminent contact lens conference, bringing thousands of clinical, academic and research professionals to Veldhoven while simultaneously attracting attention from tens of thousands of their peers worldwide. CooperVision and Procornea are looking forward to revealing more regarding our research, insights, products and programs come mid-March,” said McParland.
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1 Holden et al, - Global Prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology 2016. 123(5):1036-1042
2 Chamberlain P et al. A 3-year Randomized Clinical Trial of MiSight® Lenses for Myopia Control. Optom Vis Sci 2019; 96:556-567.
3 In the United States, MiSight® (omafilcon A) daily wear single use Soft Contact Lenses are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
4 When compared to the children in the control group wearing a single vision 1-day contact lens over a 3-year period.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia and childhood myopia; 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 www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("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 San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
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