This issue of OM focuses on how to make myopia management a success

A word often used to describe the global increase in myopia is “alarming.” The number of Americans with myopia, reported at more than 40%, is projected to increase in the coming decades. While such numbers are staggering, research has led to new approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of myopia. In this issue, our expert authors discuss these critical issues and share their perspectives on managing myopia, the theme of Optometric Management June.

ADDRESSING PATIENT CARE AND THE PRACTICE

One of the key steps to successful myopia treatment is education. For example, in “Implement Myopia Care Into Practice” (p.17), Dr. Mark Bullimore writes: “By educating parents and their children about how time spent outdoors lowers the risk of myopia, we’re not only playing a role in preventing its onset, but also in preventing health issues, such as obesity, related to time spent indoors.”

This education can be challenging because myopia is not always a simple concept, as Shalu Pal, O.D., F.A.A.O., notes in “Diagnose Myopia” (p.22): “It is much more complex, as there are multiple forms, etiologies and sequelae, which result from the presence of myopia.” Dr. Pal writes that the complexity can be addressed by asking the right questions and utilizing the correct tests.

Because progression can be reduced, “practitioners need to be proactive with their young patients and introduce the concept of myopia control as soon as there is evidence of a myopic refractive error,” explains Debbie Jones, FCOptom, F.A.A.O., in “Myopia Management: What Are the Options” (p.26). The tools to manage myopia are available — “now is the time to use them,” she writes.

Recent myopia progression studies have shown promising results that can be dependent on demographic factors. In “Consider Demographics” (p.30) Nadia Virani, O.D., discusses these factors and how they can “best help inform” an optometrist’s business plan related to myopia management.

As O.D.s are on the frontline of treatment, knowledge of the legal responsibilities related to myopia care can protect both doctor and patient. To understand these issues, Katie Gilbert-Spear, O.D., J.D., M.P.H., offers four tips to consider when managing younger patients who have myopia in “The Legalities of Myopia Management” (p.32). OM