CooperVision Initiative Brings Greater Attention and Clarity About the Global Issue to Physicians, Nurses and Other Non-Ophthalmic Providers
SAN RAMON, Calif., March 22, 2021—A new special report is helping draw awareness to the increasing severity and prevalence of myopia in children among non-ophthalmic healthcare providers. Advancing the Treatment of Myopia in Children is published by Global Business Media as part of its Hospital Reports series, with support from CooperVision.
“Addressing the problem of myopia progression requires collaboration across the healthcare spectrum, with physicians, nurses and other care providers working alongside optometrists and ophthalmologists,” said Gary Orsborn, OD, Vice President of Global Professional, Medical & Clinical Affairs for CooperVision. “As a global research, clinical and education leader on the topic, it’s our privilege to gather several experts to succinctly frame the issue, highlight the science and review intervention options. Our hope is this special report is one more step toward establishing myopia management as standard of care by eye care professionals for the millions of children who are affected.”
The report can be viewed online by clicking here.
Myopia, commonly known as short-sightedness, causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina rather than directly on the surface, due to the elongation of the eye. It is projected to affect the vision of approximately five billion people globally by 2050, more than doubling today’s numbers.1 Myopic progression has been linked to sight-threatening conditions later in life such as cataracts, retinal detachment, glaucoma2 and myopic maculopathy.3
Insights from Four Global Experts
Dr. Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Director of Children’s Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital, UK), opens the report by writing on why myopia matters. She contends that myopia is no longer an inconvenience, since its constant march will place increased burdens on quality of life and cause a rise in healthcare expenditure to both individuals and healthcare systems. As societal awareness increases and low-risk approaches emerge, identifying and treating children will be more commonplace.
Professor Nicola Logan of the School of Optometry at Aston University (UK) explores the range of myopia management interventions becoming more available to qualified healthcare professionals to address the surge in myopia prevalence with their young patients. Environment and lifestyle play a key role in the condition’s development,4 with consideration for offering behavioral interventions such as increased time spent outdoors and reduced time on near work. She then touches on optical and pharmaceutical interventions to slow myopia progression, including specialized spectacle lenses, dual-focus and multifocal contact lenses for daytime use, orthokeratology contact lenses for overnight corneal reshaping, and atropine.
Dr. Kate Gifford, the founder of Myopia Profile and a practicing optometrist in Australia, authors a risk-to-benefit comparison of myopia controlling contact lenses. After reviewing multiple studies regarding contact lens safety in children and teens, she weighs short-term and long-term challenges that may arise with daily wear. Ultimately Dr. Gifford concludes that the functional, psychological and preventative eye health benefits of myopia control contact lenses present a compelling first line management option for children under 12 with progressive myopia.
Professor Mark Bullimore, a prolific myopia consultant and Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston (U.S.), shares why every diopter of myopia progression matters in response to a common question: “When we can correct myopia with spectacles, contact lenses refractive surgery, should we worry about slowing its progression?” His modeling indicates that in 30 years, approximately one third of all visual impairment will be attributable to myopia; slowing it by even one diopter could reduce the prevalence of such impairment by 10 percent.5
“This report lays bare a real urgency to act by all health professionals, who can gain a better grasp of myopia progression’s expanding impact, help encourage routine eye examinations for children and refer parents to optometry and ophthalmology peers for counsel and care,” said Dr. Orsborn.
For more than a decade, CooperVision has been at the forefront of taking on myopia progression. The company offers a range of myopia management approaches for the global eye care professional communities. MiSight® 1 day soft contact lenses are scientifically designed and clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia in children,†6 and serve as the foundation for the company’s comprehensive Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program™. CooperVision Specialty EyeCare’s ortho-k brands include Paragon CRT® and CRT Dual Axis®, Procornea DreamLite® and GP Specialists.
CooperCompanies and EssilorLuxottica recently entered into a joint venture agreement to accelerate commercialization of innovative spectacle lenses from SightGlass Vision, which are designed to reduce the progression of myopia in children. Approval and availability for each is country-dependent.
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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 What You Should Know if Your Child is Nearsighted (Infographic). Retrieved October 29, 2019 from: https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/myopia-facts-infographic.htm
3 Macular Society. Myopia, Pathological Myopia and Myopic Macular Degeneration. Retrieved October 29, 2019 from: https://www.macularsociety.org/sites/default/files/resource/Macular%20Society%20Factsheet%20-%20Myopic%20Macular%20Degeneration%202017%20-%20ACCESS.pdf
4 Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical and environmental factors in myopia aetiology. Prog Retin Eye Res. Published online 2012.
5 Bullimore MA, Brennan NA. Myopia Control: Why Each Diopter Matters. Optom Vis Sci 2019;96:463-5.
6 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.
† Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3-year period.
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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