Sometimes a second opinion and a simple refit can provide a needed course correction, and in turn, reset the trajectory of a child’s future vision and eye health.
This was the case for a 10-year-old boy with progressing myopia who recently visited the Shiley Eye Institute at the University of California San Diego for an ocular health and dilated fundus exam following a routine eye and contact lens exam at another practice.
Enter optometrist Andrew Vo, who helped spearhead the launch of Shiley’s myopia control clinic four years ago after gaining interest in this specialty during his cornea and contact lens residency at Marshall B. Ketchum University’s Southern California College of Optometry.
From the 10-year-old boy’s history, Dr. Vo noted his young patient had visited Shiley a few years earlier and had since worsened from a -1.50D to a -3.00D prescription. The boy’s father had taken his son to another practice four months earlier, when the child was prescribed single-vision contact lenses. The boy adapted quickly to lens wear and was highly motivated from the start, since he knew contacts and clearer vision could give him a competitive edge on the soccer field, especially when compared to glasses.
“The father was a myope and wanted to do anything to help his child’s vision,” Dr. Vo explains. “I told him: ‘Your son is already wearing contact lenses full time and has adapted well to lens wear. On the other hand, his eyes are worsening, which is a concern. Why not refit him to an FDA-approved* product proven to slow myopia progression in children aged 8-12 at initiation of treatment?’”1†
The dad immediately got on board with his son’s refit to MiSight® 1 day contact lenses, the first and only soft contact lens for myopia control in age-appropriate children.±*
“Many patients come to Shiley who got their prescriptions elsewhere, but they’re looking for the most up-to-date care, a second opinion, and the latest innovative treatments. For kids, I try to figure out what we can do that’s going to be the most help for them in the long run, so moving this young man from a single-vision contact to MiSight® was an easy decision.”
Looking at the big picture, it’s estimated that more than 300,000 children between the ages of 8 and 12 wear single-vision contact lenses in the U.S.2 For children with myopia who are eligible candidates like Dr. Vo’s patient, the switch to MiSight® 1 day is a simple exam room pivot for the eye care professional (ECP) that can make a big impact in helping a child attain the best vision and eye health possible for their entire lifetime.3‡
“We see myopic kids still wearing single-vision lenses all the time, but there’s always another option,” Dr. Vo says.
“If the child is eligible, it’s a no-brainer to refit them in MiSight®,” he adds. “The refit process is also simple,4҂ since MiSight® is a soft daily disposable and doesn’t require a fitting guide.” And in this case, Dr. Vo could prescribe the same power that was used in the single-vision lens since the refractive error remained the same compared to four months earlier.
“In this instance, we were able to make a difference, and the switch may make a very long-term, positive difference in this boy’s life.3‡ Myopia control is now a standard of care in the profession. Doctors need to take time to talk to families about myopia, recognize the importance of myopia control, and get these kids into treatment as early as possible.”
Why keep the child in a medical device that worsens their disease? Treat myopia seriously; treat it today for a better tomorrow.
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Dr. Vo is a graduate of Berkeley Optometry and completed his residency in Cornea and Contact lenses at the Southern California College of Optometry. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Scleral Lens Society. As a provider at University of California San Diego Shiley Eye Institute, he helped establish the Myopia Control Clinic and specializes in anterior segment medical contact lens fitting and primary care.
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*Indications for Use: MiSight® (omafilcon A) daily wear single use Soft Contact Lenses 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.
± Only FDA approved soft contact lens designed for myopia control in the U.S.
‡ 77% strongly agree, 20% somewhat agree.
҂ Initial CL BVP selection and observation of fit follows same fitting protocol for single vision CLs; fit success rate same with MiSight® 1 day and Proclear® 1 day.
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Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.
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CVI data on file, October 2022. US industry reports and internal estimates.
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CVI data on file 2022. U.S. CooperVision online survey: ECP MiSight® 1 day Perspectives; n=101 ECPs that prescribe MiSight® 1 day.
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CVI data on file 2018.
