Myopia Management May – Awareness Campaign

Myopia Management May – Awareness Campaign

Myopia is becoming more prevalent. In the last 50 years, the number of people with myopia in the UK has more than doubled – going from 10% in the 1960s to 23% in the 2000s (1). Studies predict that by 2050 more than 50% of the global population will be myopic (2).

However, myopia need not be inevitable. By providing practical, evidence-based information and advice, we can help many patients from ever becoming myopic. That is why, this May, No7 Contact Lenses is embarking on a campaign to promote the critical message of Myopia Management.

“For some people, myopia will only ever be an inconvenience. However, we know that a person with myopia is more likely to develop severe eye disease in later life. And we know that the more myopic a person is, the more likely that is to happen,” explained Katie Harrop, No7’s Professional Services Director and key opinion leader on Myopia Management.

“A high myope is at greater risk of developing Cataract, Retinal Detachment, Glaucoma and Myopic

Maculopathy. But we are in a position to prevent this. Firstly, we can give practical, evidence-based advice to parents and young people that may stop them from becoming myopic – such as spending 40-80 minutes outside daily. And for those who are already myopic, we can recommend treatments that may reduce the end amount of myopia they have, such as MiSight soft lenses from CooperVision, spectacles and ortho-k lenses like our own EyeDream. Taking action at the early stages of a child’s myopia progression could have a critical effect on the future health of their vision, so I believe we are obligated to help our patients understand these facts,” Katie continued.

To help spread the Myopia Management message, Katie and the No7 team have put together an information pack. The pack is designed to help No7 EyeDream customers disseminate the facts through their own marketing channels. The pack includes:

• New Myopia Management patient leaflets.
• A Myopia Management infographic practice poster.
• A Myopia Management window sticker.
• A Myopia Management web-pack (for designing a practice website landing page).
• Myopia Management social content (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram)

“We want this message to meet as many eyes and ears as possible, and we need our customers to help do that. By posting to their social channels, building a web page, giving the poster pride of place and popping up the window sticker, they can get the message out. But, most of all, we want customers to use these materials to start a conversation, engage with their patients about Myopia Management, share the facts, and let them make informed decisions,” Katie concluded.

No7 Customers wanting to participate can register for the campaign by visiting: www.no7contactlenses.com/ myopia-management-may

• – McCullough et al. Six Year Refractive Change among White Children and Young Adults: Evidence for Significant Increase in Myopia among White UK Children. PLos One. 2016 Jan 19;11(1):e014332
• – Holden et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016 Mys;123(5):1036-42.