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- Myopia management: education is key
Myopia management: education is key
OT heard how Hoya, CooperVision and EssilorLuxottica are supporting practitioners with education in the quickly-evolving field of myopia management
04 January 2023
The field of myopia management has evolved rapidly in the past two years, with several new interventions introduced to the market and a wealth of research both published and underway.
With the drive to increase public awareness, and the rapid developments in product and research, along with calls from the World Council of Optometry to make myopia a standard of care in practice, OT asked suppliers how they are helping practices to step into the field and keep abreast of the newest information.
Setting the foundations and engaging the whole team
Andy Sanders, professional services director for Hoya Lens UK and Ireland, told OT: “Education is key because the scenery is changing all the time. Everything is evolving.”
With new lenses coming onto the market, Sanders emphasised the need to keep on top of developments and look into the research behind them, whilst new guidance from the College of Optometrists, published in August, on the management of myopia has created an additional driver for optometrists to engage in this area.
When Hoya launched its Miyosmart spectacle lens for myopia management, the company also introduced an accreditation scheme with presentations on myopia, the development of the Miyosmart spectacle lens, and broader management interventions.
Over 4000 practitioners have completed Hoya’s myopia management accreditation since it was introduced.
“We launched the accreditation to give eye care providers a good background, not only in our own lens, but also of what was out there in the market as we consider myopia management is a medical treatment,” Sanders explained.
Highlighting that it is important for practitioners to understand the variety of solutions available, Sanders noted: “For any myopia management to be successful, it is crucial that the child is fully on board. If the child doesn’t want a pair of glasses and isn’t going to wear them, it is just not going to be effective because we know the efficacy is dose-related.”
Cross-stakeholder engagement
Reflecting on the current levels of awareness around myopia amongst the public, Sanders shared: “I don’t think a lot of parents are really aware of the implications of myopia.”
Hoya has been running several campaigns to raise awareness, including the Eye Care We Care campaign to support optometrists to talk to their local schools about eye health. Approximately 200 practices have signed up to the campaign since its launch in April 2022.
The company is also in talks with the Department for Education regarding a screening campaign in schools, Sanders told OT.
The company is exploring how to develop the accreditation scheme going forwards, Sanders shared, “because we are aware that optometry over the last two years has evolved and optometrists are more aware of myopia.”
Beyond the accreditation, Hoya runs myopia management webinars with leaders in the sector, along with roadshow events.
“We’re trying to get the message out there as much as possible,” he said. “It is all about educating everyone on the different products available, because you need to have a range of different interventions.”
Key to Hoya’s approach to educating practices on the topic of myopia is engaging the whole of the team in the conversation. For this reason, the accreditation programme is available for entire practice teams to participate in.
“The recommendation is likely always going to be optometrist-led, but it is about getting the rest of the practice on board,” Sanders said. “Communication is one of the core CPD domains, so we always say: work as a team.”
Asked what he would advise other eye care professionals, Sanders commented: “I would encourage all practitioners to take up myopia management. Professionally, I think it is the right thing to do.”
My myopia must-haves
Andy Sanders, Hoya:
- As far as spectacles are concerned, it is important to have lens samples to show the patient. You also need consent forms and patient leaflets to explain all of the options to them
- I would also have a database search, so that I could go back through the records and have a look at patients who might be going myopic and plant the seed before they come in. Hoya supports practitioners with templates for reminder letters that have these kinds of details in them
- I would also have a list of different video demonstrations that are available. Captiv8 Connect, by Dr Trusit Dave, has an app with several demos, including one that show what myopia is. Parents can download and view the demo. I think it’s a great idea as sometimes people prefer to watch things in a digital format.
Honing the communication skill
Research commissioned by CooperVision in 2019 found that 69% of UK parents surveyed were unaware of anything that would slow the progression of myopia in children, while 92% indicated that they would expect their eye care professional to inform them of the options for myopia management.
Highlighting these findings, Christina Olner, head of professional affairs, UK and Ireland for CooperVision, said: “This is why it is really important that we get eye care professionals to have a conversation with all parents of myopic and pre-myopic children about myopia and myopia management.”
Recognising a key hurdle for many practitioners, Olner told OT: “We understand that one of the big challenges for eye care professionals (ECPs) is how to communicate myopia, its progression and its management to patients and their parents.”
“As a result, we have developed several CPD workshops which allow practitioners to hone their skills in a safe environment,” she explained. To support conversations around myopia, CooperVision also has guides for parents and children, along with an online vision simulator.
CooperVision also hosts a professional accreditation which can be registered for online, along with online workshops, and the company said it is also looking to expand its e-learning offer around myopia management.
Asked how practices can assess their readiness to offer interventions, Olner acknowledged the updated guidance from the College of Optometrists, which advises being able to discuss the evidence, benefits and risks of myopia management with patients. She told OT: “I see this as the precursor to practising myopia management.”
As a next step, she recommended reading CooperVision’s Action Plan for the Future of Managing Myopia, which was created by practitioners to highlight the importance of normalising myopia management.
Further steps would include establishing myopia management as a standard of care in practice, she added, to “ensure your front of house colleagues understand about myopia management," and to screen the diary each day for myopic patients under 18.
“As practitioners we now have the opportunity to make a difference to the eyesight and eye health of a generation,” Olner reflected.
My myopia must-haves Christina
Christina Olner, CooperVision:
- Consider the potential for myopia with all child patients and start the conversation early – ideally before the child becomes myopic. Resources such as the PreMO risk indicator from Ulster University can help practitioners to establish a child’s risk level and prepare parents and patients for a potential myopic future. Sow the seed of myopia management so that parents can begin to develop an understanding
- It’s important to deliver the message that myopia interventions cannot reduce levels or halt the progression of myopia, so use analogies and language that parents and patients may understand. A favourite of mine from practice was the analogy of ‘putting the brakes on.’ We can’t change the duration of the journey (progression) but intervention may slow the speed and ultimate end point
- Focus on the short and mid-term benefits of myopia management. Misight 1 day corrects distance vision and gives children the freedom of spectacle-free vision with the added benefit of managing their myopia. In the mid-term, thinner spectacle lenses, wider frame choice, lower cost of spectacles and the potential for refractive surgical interventions may be important. Maintaining ocular health into the child’s future is of course an important aspect for us as clinicians but often helping patients to understand this as opposed to detailing the potential pathology is all that’s required.
Upskilling in myopia management
This autumn, EssilorLuxottica introduced a myopia management certification programme on its training platform, Leonardo. The programme, called Moving from Myopia Correction to Control, consists of five modules led by experts covering myopia management, the risk factors, and the Essilor Stellest lenses.
Charlotte Timbury, Stellest product manager for EssilorLuxottica North Europe, suggested the programme has been designed to “help upskill eye care professionals to the current global standard in myopia management and help them actively engage and guide patients in their myopia management journey.”
Timbury also highlighted new CPD-approved modules discussing myopia management across a variety of educational formats.
Reflecting on current levels of awareness around myopia, Timbury said: “It still feels like we are at the start of a long journey around supporting the eye care profession with communication to the public.”
To support this communication effort, Essilor introduced the Stellest passport in March to lens orders, as a resource designed to follow a patient’s journey and track any changes in their vision.
My myopia must-haves
Charlotte Timbury, EssilorLuxottica:
- It is essential that each member within a practice is aware of the extreme importance of moving beyond simply correcting myopia to considering ways in which you can manage it
- Using a biometer in practice to demonstrate any axial length changes will help ECPs explain this to parents so they understand the importance of investing in myopia management in terms of lenses and lifestyle changes
- Introduce Essilor Stellest lenses as an option that offers the dual benefit of myopia correction and control. Explain to parents that investing initially in something that will hopefully slow down myopia progression will mean their child won’t have to change their eyewear as frequently
- Ultimately, Essilor Stellest lenses and other forms of myopia management are an investment in a child’s future and could be the best gift a parent gives them.
A partnership with Myopia Profile has also seen the development of educational content designed to support eye care practitioners’ knowledge and skills in prescribing spectacle lenses to young children.
Partnerships like this will continue to play a role in Essilor’s approach, Timbury added, “with a strong focus on education, awareness and advocacy, to help make a much-needed impact on children’s lives everywhere.”
Evidence-based practice
Produced in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Vision, Hoya, and Essilor, the educational sessions were developed to support practitioners’ professional development in myopia management.
Members can watch recordings of four webinars from the day on-demand on the AOP website at: www.aop.org.uk/events-and-education/webinar-recordings
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