Control of pediatric myopia

Current information and trends in Myopia Control

November 14th, 2016

Download PDF Dr Paul Gifford consults with the contact lens industry on development of contact lens designs and their implementation into clinical practice. He is a partner in private practice conducting clinical research on use of contact lenses and orthokeratology to control progression of myopia, and holds an Adjunct Senior Lecturer position at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney. In the Treatise of Human Nature, published in 1739, David Hume observed that the more distant something is in time and space, the less we care about it. Although written in past times, the topic of myopia control taps into this interesting human paradox, as the failure to take effective action now does not present consequence until considerable time into the future. To investigate how sizeable this problem might become, researchers from the Brien Holden Vision Institute recently published a systematic review and meta-analysis on global prevalence of myopia and high myopia.1 Filtering through 4288 research articles on prevalence of refractive error or myopia the authors were left with 145 valid articles to form their analysis. Global prevalence of myopia was reported as 22.9% in 2000 rising to 28.3% in 2010. When projected forward to 2050 the authors predict that, at current trends, global prevalence of myopia will become 49.8%, with 9.8% of the global population being highly myopic (-6.00D or more). Even if we consider this data to be an over-estimate, it is safe to conclude that the prevalence of myopia is growing at an alarming rate. As … [ Read More ]

Global trends in myopia management: A review

November 14th, 2016

Download PDF Debbie Jones is a clinical professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Canada. She is the Interim Associate Director, Academics and Research, and Head of the Pediatrics and Special Needs Clinic. Myopia is a global public health issue that has reached epidemic proportions,1 with reports suggesting that the prevalence of myopia has broadly doubled in the past 30 years.2 It is estimated that by 2050, 50% of the world’s population (4758 million people) will be myopic, compared with 23% in 2000.3 The reasons for the increased prevalence remain largely unproven, but potential mechanisms include a variety of genetic and environmental factors, including an increased amount of near work, lighting levels, reduced amounts of outdoor activities and peripheral hyperopic defocus – to name just a few.4-12 The initial onset of myopia in the past two generations is clearly occurring at an earlier age, with a resultant increase in the prevalence of high myopia in later life. It is estimated that by 2050, 10% of the world’s population will suffer from high myopia (>-5.00D),3 which is troubling given its known association with an increase in a number of sight threatening ocular pathologies, including glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy.13-17 Wolffsohn JS, Calossi A, Cho P, et al. Global trends in myopia management attitudes and strategies in clinical practice. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2016;39: 106-16. As a result of such data, there has been an increased interest in clinical interventions to control myopia progression.1, 6, 9-11, 18-25 The intention of these … [ Read More ]

Research Brief: Prevalence of Childhood Myopia

November 14th, 2016

The prevalence of pediatric myopia is growing at an alarming rate worldwide, according to epidemiological research. To view these numbers grouped by country and percentage, download our research brief.

Controlling the progression of myopia: A public workshop

November 14th, 2016

Download PDF Workshop summaries provided by Alisa Sivak, Marc Schulze, Doerte Luensmann, Hiba Mannan and Karen Walsh at the Centre for Contact Lens Research, University of Waterloo. The ideas presented in this summary soley reflect the information provided by workshop presenters. References identified in the presentations are listed throughout the summary. A September 30, 2016 workshop on myopia control, presented by the United States Federal Drug Administration (FDA), was designed to provide an overview of the increasing prevalence of myopia in addition to obtaining “consensus for clinical trial design attributes when contact lenses or other medical devices are studied for controlling the progression of myopia.” According to opening remarks from William Maisel, Deputy Center Director for Science and Chief Scientist with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health branch of the FDA, the purpose of bringing the sponsoring organizations* together was to come up with a complete picture of the future of myopia control to determine the best path for developing this technology. This process will include a patient-centered approach to clinical trials, a thorough evaluation of the benefits and risks involved, and evaluation of the evidence and collaboration between those working in this field of research and practice. Demographics and natural history of myopia in the United States Has the prevalence of myopia increased in the United States over the past few decades? To address this question, Donald Mutti (The Ohio State University College of Optometry) looked at various studies over the past century. A 1983 study by Sperduto et al.1 reported the prevalence of … [ Read More ]

Contact Lens Update

Clinical Insights Based in Current Research