CooperVision Celebrates Nationwide ECP Adoption and Unparalleled Consumer Education; Opens Brilliant Futures™ Certification to All U.S. Optometrists
SAN RAMON, Calif., Nov. 16, 2020—Today CooperVision celebrates one year since MiSight® 1 day became the first and only FDA approved1 contact lens for slowing the progression of myopia in children, who at initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age. The milestone and subsequent efforts have vaulted myopia management into mainstream eye care in the United States, including widespread availability of a scientifically proven†2 product and unprecedented recognition of the issue among parents.
“This time last year, there was no approved treatment in the U.S. for a health condition that two out of every five Americans face3,” said Justin Kwan, OD, FAAO, CooperVision Senior Manager of Myopia Management. “Since the approval of MiSight® 1 day, our team has been dedicated to ensuring that ECPs and parents nationwide have both the awareness of and access to this innovative technology and related programs to protect vision as children grow into adults. What was an esoteric area of practice in the recent past has become mainstream.”
In conjunction with the anniversary, CooperVision is opening its Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program certification to all U.S. ECPs, which will further accelerate adoption of the comprehensive approach to reach thousands more children. The program seeks to elevate the standard of care for age appropriate children by shifting the focus from refractive correction for myopia to interventions that also slow the progression of axial length, the key element in a leading myopia management program. The Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program accomplishes this by creating the optimal environment for compliance, satisfaction, clinical outcomes and long-term loyalty. ECPs who are interested in beginning certification can learn more here.
Unparalleled Parent Awareness and Education
In August, CooperVision launched a multichannel, direct-to-consumer advertising campaign featuring television actress, producer, and entrepreneur Sarah Michelle Gellar. Believed to be the world’s largest-ever consumer myopia management awareness initiative, its educational messages have generated more than 800 million impressions to date and driven consumers into certified eye care professionals’ offices.
The reality of the prevalence and severity of myopia progression—and what parents can do about it—has entered the daily lives of Americans through their device screens and magazine pages as MiSight® 1 day and Brilliant Futures™ appears across social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others, as well as popular media outlets such as People Magazine, Access Hollywood, and Today.
Nearly 1,000 U.S. children have been fit with MiSight® 1 day since the lens became available in March.
“We’ve already had parents come into our practice asking about MiSight® 1 day by name,” shared Kevin Chan, OD, MS, FAAO, Senior Clinical Director for Treehouse Eyes. “We’re thrilled that the response has been so strong, especially because it’s a sign of a paradigm shift. More parents are becoming aware that myopia progression isn’t ok and single-vision glasses aren’t enough. They know now that they could change their child’s future with myopia management.”
Nationwide Adoption of the Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program
More than 1,500 U.S. ECPs from 46 states are now certified and able to prescribe CooperVision’s Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program featuring the MiSight® 1 day contact lens as its cornerstone. The number surpasses CooperVision’s first year selective participation goals, even as the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges for eye care professionals and their communities.
In addition to opening certification to all U.S. ECPs, CooperVision has also provided access to the faculty and residents of the nation’s 23 schools and colleges of optometry—part of its ongoing commitment to the next generation of ECPs, researchers and educators who will be essential in the fight against myopia progression.
This growth in Brilliant Futures™ fitters comes as new data emerges from CooperVision’s landmark MiSight® 1 day clinical study. Among many powerful outcomes are that nearly one in four children’s eyes originally fit with MiSight® 1 day remain stable for myopia after six years.4 The study previously established the lens to be effective in slowing myopia progression in age-appropriate children by 59% over a three-year period, as measured by spherical refraction.†5
During the months ahead, the company is planning to highlight the voices of certified ECPs who have been at the forefront of the mainstream movement. CooperVision and MiSight® 1 day prescribers will share the stories of early experiences with the lenses, the program and the children who are benefiting from them through multiple professional channels.
“Having the ability to offer our patients an FDA-approved lens that can slow down the progression of myopia in age-appropriate children and help lower the risk of ocular diseases later in life is groundbreaking,” said Andrew Neukirch, OD, one of the leading MiSight® 1 day prescribers in the U.S. “I wish the technology would have been available when I was a child, but I am thankful it exists for children today. We’re changing lives with each patient we fit in MiSight® 1 day and there are many more to come.”
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1 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 lens over a 3-year period.
2 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-67.
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-risesyvm
4 Chamberlain P, Arumugam B, Jones D et al. Myopia Progression in Children Wearing Dual-Focus Contact Lenses: 6-Year Findings. Optom Vis Sci 2020;97(E-abstract):200038
5 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio 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.
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