A growing number of children with myopia have been coming through doors of eye care practices in recent years. Eye care professionals across the country have answered the call to provide treatment for the condition instead of vision correction alone. Now, myopia management is more important than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that may have exacerbated myopia progression with increased indoor time and near work.
The recent Brilliant Futures™ Acceleration Workshop and other forums provide practitioners with an opportunity to share perspectives and to support those implementing the Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program featuring MiSight® 1 day into their practices. One of earliest and most successful MiSight® prescribers, Dr. Ashley Tucker, offers the following tips on how to do just that.
Educate Early and Often
Myopia management education is key to success with the Brilliant Futures™ program. It is especially valuable to start educating families on risk factors for myopia, such as family genetics and environmental factors,[1] early in the process. Plant the seed during an appointment, send parents home with brochures and educational materials provided by CooperVision, and then follow up with them in a few months to see if they might want to talk more about myopia management.
Offer a Myopia Consultation Visit
Parents may have a heightened concern about their child's vision and eye health, particularly with increased screen usage and indoor time. That’s why it is imperative that parents get all their questions answered in a non-rushed environment. Use visual aids, such as the levels of myopia poster from CooperVision. A myopia consultation provides an opportunity to get to know the parents, and if the child is present, spend some time talking directly to the child as well. By the end of visit, in most cases, you’ll develop a plan that everyone feels comfortable pursuing.
Assign a Myopia Management Team Member
Having someone on staff that is appointed and trained to triage and schedule patients interested in a myopia management program is invaluable. They can answer follow-up questions after visits, order lenses, and periodically reach out to nearby school nurses, pediatricians, and colleagues to provide myopia management information to appropriate families.
Communicate Consistently with Families
When launching MiSight® 1 day in your practice, consistent and coordinated communication with parents and patients is key. Announce it on social media, such as Facebook or Instagram, add it to your website, send out a newsletter, and diligently contact parents on your waitlist of age-appropriate and prescription-appropriate patients* who haven't had success with other myopia management options.†2 To get started, check out the assets and templates available to certified prescribers on MiSightPro.com.
Emphasize Comfort and Ease of Use
MiSight® 1 day has been show to provide excellent visual outcomes[2],[3] and comfort[4] for age-appropriate* patients over three years of wear. This is really important for potential first-time wearers who have better success with a lens that is easy to handle3,[5] and may also be great for kids who may already be in traditional daily contact lenses and need to make the switch to a myopia management program. Before MiSight® 1 day, this was a group of kids that was very difficult to treat effectively.
For more information on successfully implementing MiSight® 1 day in your practice, contact your CooperVision sales representative or Myopia Management Specialist.
Ashley W. Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Diplomate, ABO, is a Brilliant FuturesTM certified eye care professional practicing at Bellaire Family Eye Care in Bellaire, Texas.
*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 three years
[1] Gifford, P., & Gifford, K. L. (2016). The Future of Myopia Control Contact Lenses. OptomVis Sci. 93(4): 336-343.
[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] 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.
[4] Sulley A et al, Wearer experience and subjective responses with dual focus compared to spherical, single vision soft contact
lenses in children during a 3-year clinical trial. AAO 2019 Poster Presentation.
[5] CVI data on file 2019. Global survey by Decision Analyst with 1,009 parents in UK, Canada, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Australia/NZ.
