ADVERTORIAL TAKING ON MYOPIA CooperVision’s 2020 Best Practices Honorees Lead the Charge in Myopia Management CULTIVATING INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP IN EYE CARE Celebrating 5 Years Assessing and correcting myopia has long been an integral component of an eye care professional’s job. But as the prevalence and severity of myopia in children has increased in recent years,1 today’s practitioners are looking beyond glasses to more proactive management options that can help slow its progression. Two optometrists from CooperVision’s 2020 Best Practices have each taken a special interest in myopia management, and are sharing their approaches to education and treatment, the benefits to their patients and practices—and what they think the future may hold. Faheem Inayatali, OD Paul Lin, OD Eye Center of Houston Valencia Eyecare Optometry Houston, TX Valencia, CA What is your approach to myopia management within your practice? How has it evolved over time? Inayatali: It has always been an area of interest for Lin: Initially, I began to explore myopia me in my practice. I consult with the parents of my management for my own daughter. From pediatric patients from the get-go, starting with an there, I wanted to stay at the forefront of the analysis of a child’s genetic probability of early myopia developments myself, and educate my staff by looking at the parents’ history and overall retinal about it as well. I really want to help my young health. I explain the results to parents, which brings patients in the long run, so I begin by talking an initial sense of awareness and then I explain the to parents about the available options and different management options. The biggest change establish that seed. Now, we are fortunate in has been the expansion of my toolbox to help these that there are several choices for management, patients; the advancements in options give us greater and I think it’s important for them to take part flexibility to provide more than a one-step approach. in the decision. AN INITIATIVE OF ©2020 CooperVision 9479 07/20 How do you educate parents about myopia management? Steps to Gaining Lin: When a pediatric patient’s myopia Inayatali: I try to break it down is progressing and they are in the right into simple concepts for them— 4 Traction in age group, I start by explaining as much the stretching of the retina, and Myopia Management as possible in the exam room. Then, the goal of mitigating the long- from the various conferences and term effects. I make it real by seminars I have attended, I developed a providing probabilities of what 1 Education first. slide deck that my staff or I take them might happen down the road, like Nearly everyone is familiar with through. It provides an explanation of retinal detachment, tears, various vision correction, but myopia myopia, the risks, and the options for diseases. The most important management is a new concept managing the progression. For those point is that we can’t go backward, for most. Think of the process who don’t make a decision right away, so early intervention is the only of education as a public service. we follow up with an email summarizing way to help prevent or slow down Start with the basics of the everything we talked about, and keep those risks. We take an initial importance of early intervention, that communication going. I also have A-scan for a baseline, and then time outdoors, and the scientific educational videos I’ve made that I show them a graph of what we’re evidence—then everything else share to Facebook to keep it top of mind aiming to do; this provides a useful falls into place. and help others continue to learn about visual of the importance of taking myopia management. action sooner rather than later. 2 Gain comfort in How has offering myopia management benefitted your practice? design. Understand that there are Lin: Offering myopia management Inayatali: The ability to provide multiple dimensions of myopia has put me at the forefront of different modes of myopia management. Find the approved, practices in the area, setting me management has been rewarding cutting-edge management apart. We offer a lot in terms of the on multiple levels. For one, options and master those. latest advancements in technology, specializing in this area is definitely a so this is just another service we differentiator for our practice. This is Take on “easy” cases provide that people won’t hear about a well-established, growing epidemic 3 in many other practices. It also helps in which we have the opportunity to start. me develop longer-term relationships to play a significant, positive role, Begin with patients you know— with patients, as it captures them and it can be a lucrative part of the family members, or children of early and I can follow them year after practice. In addition, any time you your staff—until you gain the year to see how they are progressing. change lives—particularly by altering confidence and comfort to take Then I end up seeing a lot of their the trajectory for children—you on more. family members as well—parents for are going to see an uptick in your their own myopia, grandparents for information being passed to their 4 Don’t shy away from presbyopia, diabetic retinopathy, and family and friends, who are going to failure—and have a so on. speak positively about your practice. backup plan. What do you see as the future of myopia management in your practice? Life’s biggest lessons are learned from past mistakes. Just don’t Lin: I see the future as very bright Inayatali: Eventually, with enough give up. If one method isn’t the for this field. We are just at the ambassadors for myopia management right fit for a patient, or the re- beginning with the FDA’s approval and all of us working together to raise sults don’t meet expectations, let of CooperVision MiSight® 1 day2, that awareness, we’ll be able to make the patient know there may be and the introduction of the Brilliant much more of a dent in the epidemic. another course of action. Seek Futures™ Myopia Management We need to stop thinking about advice from your colleagues as Program. When certified through eyeglasses as the primary option for necessary. the program, it is very simple to children with myopia; these myopia 1 Holden et al, - Global Prevalence of myopia order these lenses now. All you management advancements are so and high myopia and temporal trends from have to do is identify the right much better. There are a lot of adults 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology 2016. patients and take the initiative to suffering from visual impairments that 123(5):1036-1042 explain the concept to them. It could have been prevented if they 2 MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear may take extra time at first, but it’s had intervention at an earlier age. We are indicated for the correction of myopic rewarding to have happier patients have the opportunity to impact that ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, in the long run. change for the next generation. who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 For more information about CooperVision’s Best Practices, its honorees to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to (current and past), and updates on how they are working to support and be discarded after each removal. advance the profession, visit www.eyecarebestpractices.com. .