CooperVision has gained approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for the manufacture and sale of its innovative MiSight® 1 day* contact lenses. The milestone decision makes MiSight® 1 day the first soft contact lens in the country authorized for use by children to correct myopia and may help control its progression.‡1
As myopia rates increase globally, with approximately 5 billion people estimated to have myopia by 2050, Japan has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world.2 In Japan, 77% of children aged 6-11 and 95% of children aged 12-14 are myopes.3 The increasing trend is believed to stem from changes in lifestyle, particularly a decrease in outdoor time and an increase in near-distance activities such as studying, reading, and digital device use.4-6 Beyond immediate effects on vision, myopia progression also increases the risk for serious eye diseases such as retinal detachment and glaucoma in the future, making early intervention essential.7-10
Expanding Partnerships to Help Fight the Global Myopia Epidemic
“CooperVision is extremely pleased that eye care professionals and families in Japan will have access to MiSight® 1 day, the world’s number one most fitted soft contact lens for myopia control in age-appropriate children.§11 Introducing MiSight® 1 day as an accessible tool to help treat the myopia epidemic among Japanese children3 has the potential to help prevent longer-term ocular health consequences12 on a significant scale,” said Jennifer Lambert, Vice President, Myopia Management & Cornea Care, CooperVision. “Japanese children will soon be able to wear a contact lens that’s currently being successfully used by hundreds of thousands of children around the world, and we look forward to partnering with Japan’s renowned ophthalmology community to fight myopia together.”13
MiSight® 1 day Now Available in 3 Key Markets
This milestone approval in Japan means that MiSight® 1 day is now the first and only contact lens approved for myopia control in three major markets: Japan, the United States, with its Food and Drug Administration approval*, and China, with its National Medical Products Administration approval.†‡1 Using its unique ActivControl® technology, the lens addresses both axial length elongation and refractive error.‡1 Two treatment zones focus on the anterior portion of the retina to inhibit axial length elongation, while two correction zones correct myopia. The product is supported by the longest clinical study among children of any soft contact lens for myopia control, which occurred over seven years.*1,14,15
Commercial launch plans and initial shipment details will be announced in the coming weeks.