MiSight® 1 day is the first and only FDA-approved* soft contact lens to slow myopia progression in children, ages 8-12 at the initiation of treatment. †1
SAN RAMON, Calif., August 26, 2020— CooperVision, a global leader in myopia management, today announced popular US television actress, producer, and entrepreneur Sarah Michelle Gellar as the spokesperson for its Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program. Brilliant Futures™ is built around MiSight® 1 day, the first and only soft contact lens FDA-approved* to slow the progression of myopia in children ages 8-12 at the initiation of treatment†1. More than 40% of Americans have myopia, commonly referred to as nearsightedness, and that number is increasing at an alarming rate, especially among school-aged children.2,3
Two-thirds of eye care professionals in the United States say the incidence of myopia among children in their practices has increased over the past 5-10 years1 and 81% of those practitioners recognize it as one of the biggest problems impacting children’s eyesight today.1 The effects of myopia go beyond the inability to see objects clearly at a distance; worsening myopia may contribute to more severe eye health complications and sight-threatening conditions later in life.1-5
“CooperVision received FDA-approval of the MiSight® 1 day contact lens on Nov. 15, 2019, making the United States our 18th market worldwide. This reinforced CooperVision as a leader in the myopia management category,” said Daniel G. McBride, President of CooperVision. “In this particular moment in time, with so many children learning virtually and spending less time outdoors, the topic of myopia management is more relevant than ever before. As category creators and leaders in the myopia management sector, we believe it is our responsibility and privilege, alongside the optometric community, to educate parents and offer them tools to help their children who may be struggling with myopia. Our decision to make this sizable investment in educating parents is consistent with our view that addressing myopia early is vitally important.”
This new, multichannel direct-to-consumer advertising campaign featuring Gellar will highlight the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams in monitoring the progression of myopia in children. The campaign will include national and regional broadcast segments, content across digital and social media, and influencers who will be sharing their personal experiences with myopia. In addition, CooperVision will be collaborating with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to engage in meaningful unbranded conversations about myopia with the organization’s members. While the NASN does not endorse products, school nurses are often the first to observe the signs of myopia in affected children and are therefore important myopia management advocates.
“My husband and I are both nearsighted – and our myopia has continued to worsen over time,” said Gellar. “We want our kids to have a chance for better vision and lower their risk for future eye health issues. While regular eyeglasses or contacts help children see a whiteboard or tennis ball today, MiSight® 1 day lenses offer children the benefits of clear vision while slowing myopia progression during their growing years*. That is why I am thrilled to be partnering with CooperVision on this campaign.”
“CooperVision has always been committed to eye health innovation,” said Jerry Warner, Executive Vice President, Americas and Global Commercial Functions of CooperVision. “The goal of this campaign is to help build awareness of the short and long term effects of myopia. More than just vision correction, CooperVision’s myopia management program can help build a brilliant future for our children.”
To learn more, visit https://coopervision.com/practitioner/myopia-management
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* Indications for use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear 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.
†Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.
References:
1 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8): 556-567.
2 Holden BA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-42.
3 Cooper Y. (2019, May 1). With Childhood Myopia Rates on the Rise, the American Optometric Association Highlights the Importance of Early Intervention through Annual Eye Exams. Retrieved from https://www.aoa.org/newsroom/myopia-rates-on-the-rise-syvm.
4 CooperVision® data on file 2019. Myopia Awareness, The Harris Poll online survey 6/27/19 to 7/18/19 of n=313 ECPs (who see at least 1/month myopic child, age 8-15) in U.S. Slightly or significantly increased.
5 CooperVision® data on file 2019. Myopia Awareness, The Harris Poll online survey 6/27/19 to 7/18/19 of n=313 ECPs (who see at least 1/month myopic child, age 8-15) in U.S. ODs (89%) and MDs (68%) strongly/somewhat agree.
6 Xu L, Wang Y, Wang S, Wang Y Jonas JB. ‘High Myopia and Glaucoma Susceptibility: The Beijing Eye Study. Ophthalmology, 2007;114(2):216-20.
7 Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical, and environmental factors in myopia aetiology Prog Retin Eye Res. 2012;31(6):622-660.
8 Chen SJ, et al. Prevalence and associated risk factors of myopic maculopathy in elderly Chinese: the Shihpai eye study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53(8):4868-4873.
9 Chen SJ, et al. High myopia as a risk factor in primary open angle glaucoma. Int J Ophthalmol. 2012; 5(6):750-753.
10 Younan C, et al. Myopia and incident cataract and cataract surgery: the blue mountains eye study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43(3625-3632).
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 Contacts
Consumer Media:
EvolveMKD, CooperVision@EvolveMKD.com or +1-646-517-4220
Eyecare, Medical and Science Media:
McDougall Communications, jamie@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-478-4338 (mobile)