Global trends in myopia management attitudes and strategies in clinical practice - 2019 Update.

PURPOSE: A survey in 2015 identified a high level of eye care practitioner concern about myopia with a reported moderately high level of activity, but the vast majority still prescribed single vision interventions to young myopes. This research aimed to update these findings 4 years later. METHODS: A self-administrated, internet-based questionnaire was distributed in eight languages, through professional bodies to eye care practitioners globally. The questions examined: awareness of increasing myopia prevalence, perceived efficacy of available strategies and adoption levels of such strategies, and reasons for not adopting specific strategies. RESULTS: Of the 1336 respondents, concern was highest (9.0 ±â€¯1.6; p < 0.001) in Asia and lowest (7.6 ±â€¯2.2; p < 0.001) in Australasia. Practitioners from Asia also considered their clinical practice of myopia control to be the most active (7.7 ±â€¯2.3; p < 0.001), the North American practitioners being the least active (6.3 ±â€¯2.9; p < 0.001). Orthokeratology was perceived to be the most effective method of myopia control, followed by pharmaceutical approaches and approved myopia control soft contact lenses (p < 0.001). Although significant intra-regional differences existed, overall, most practitioners did not consider single-vision distance under-correction to be an effective strategy for attenuating myopia progression (79.6 %), but prescribed single vision spectacles or contact lenses as the primary mode of correction for myopic patients (63.6 ±â€¯21.8 %). The main justifications for their reluctance to prescribe alternatives to single vision refractive corrections were increased cost (20.6 %) and inadequate information (17.6 %). CONCLUSIONS: While practitioner concern about myopia and the reported level of activity have increased over the last 4 years, the vast majority of eye care clinicians still prescribe single vision interventions to young myopes. With recent global consensus evidence-based guidelines having been published, it is hoped that this will inform the practice of myopia management in future.

The Role of Orthokeratology in Myopia Control: A Review.

The prevalence of myopia and high myopia has significantly increased worldwide and in the United States. The serious implications of these trends are being recognized. Myopia is not just a minor inconvenience requiring vision correction with glasses or contact lenses, but a disease process creating significant risk of serious vision-threatening eye disease. Various methods of treatment for myopia and myopic progression have been prescribed and studied in effort to find one that is effective, safe, and that patients will be compliant with. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown orthokeratology (OrthoK) is effective in slowing myopic progression. This review article covers the development of OrthoK, its mechanism of action, its evolution, and refinement from a refractive option to its use as a mean of slowing myopic progression. After detailing patterns of myopia progression, a description of theories and studies as to how OrthoK slows myopia progression in children is also explained. The review will focus on progression of myopia and the use of OrthoK to slow myopia progression after myopia has been diagnosed.

The Future of Myopia Control Contact Lenses.

The growing incidence of pediatric myopia worldwide has generated strong scientific interest in understanding factors leading to myopia development and progression. Although contact lenses (CLs) are prescribed primarily for refractive correction, there is burgeoning use of particular modalities for slowing progression of myopia following reported success in the literature. Standard soft and rigid CLs have been shown to have minimal or no effect for myopia control. Overall, orthokeratology and soft multifocal CLs have shown the most consistent performance for myopia control with the least side effects. However, their acceptance in both clinical and academic spheres is influenced by data limitations, required off-label usage, and a lack of clear understanding of their mechanisms for myopia control. Myopia development and progression seem to be multifactorial, with a complex interaction between genetics and environment influencing myopigenesis. The optical characteristics of the individual also play a role through variations in relative peripheral refraction, binocular vision function, and inherent higher-order aberrations that have been linked to different refractive states. Contact lenses provide the most viable opportunity to beneficially modify these factors through their close alignment with the eye and consistent wearing time. Contact lenses also have potential to provide a pharmacological delivery device and a possible feedback mechanism for modification of a visual environmental risk. An examination of current patents on myopia control provides a window to the future development of an ideal myopia-controlling CL, which would incorporate the broadest treatment of all currently understood myopigenic factors. This ideal lens must also satisfy safety and comfort aspects, along with overcoming practical issues around U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, product supply, and availability to target populations. Translating the broad field of myopia research into clinical practice is a multidisciplinary challenge, but an analysis of the current literature provides a framework on how a future solution may take shape.