February 16, 2022
DALLAS — EssilorLuxottica officially announced the launch of Leonardo, an open-learning platform for the vision care industry that provides best-in-class learning content, designed and taught by industry experts. As part of this education initiative, Leonardo will offer a myopia management certification program, which comes with a suite of training courses to educate and empower eye care professionals on myopia, its complications, and its management.
The lectures are delivered by renowned myopia management experts, Dr. Mark Bullimore, MCOptom, PhD, FAAO, adjunct professor, University of Houston, and Dr. Kate Gifford, PhD, BAppSc(Optom)Hons, GCOT, FBCLA, FCCLSA, FIACLE, FAAO, Director of Myopia Profile. The certification program led by these experts will upskill eye care professionals to the current global standard in myopia management and help them actively engage and guide patients in their myopia management journey.
“With the rising prevalence of myopia and its related vision-threatening complications, it is important for all eye care professionals to not just correct myopia but understand how to slow its progression and improve the long-term visual health of their patients,” Dr. Bullimore said. “Whether you are already managing myopic children or not, I encourage eye care professionals to sign up for this program, which is underpinned by evidence-based research, and delves into why myopia should be considered as a disease, how its progression can be slowed, and the long-term benefits of managing it proactively.”
Relying on peer-reviewed scientific studies and randomized clinical trials, the program features three master classes and one video lecture, and it ends with a knowledge assessment. Upon completion, eye care professionals can earn a Leonardo certificate, a valuable asset to use in their professional career. More importantly, the program will equip eye care professionals with insights on how to move beyond myopia correction to control, to improve the long-term visual health of patients, and give them access to resources and tools to implement in clinical practice. The program includes:
- Myopia control—the risks and benefits
- Myopia control—what the evidence says
- Myopia control spectacle lens technology evolution
- Myopia management in 2022
“We are proud to dedicate our first Leonardo certification program designed for optometrists and eye care professionals to myopia control. Through such programs, we look forward to supporting eye care professionals achieve better health outcomes for their patients and supporting the growth of the eye care and eyewear industry for a smarter future. Stay tuned for the roll out of the program in other countries in the upcoming months,” said Alessandra Senici, Head of Leonardo at EssilorLuxottica.
“Continuous education of eye care practitioners is critical for better health outcomes for patients and to move a step closer to ensuring that myopia management becomes the standard of care for treating childhood myopia,” said Olga Prenat, Head of Global Medical Marketing and Vision Care Education at EssilorLuxottica. “Such programs give us an opportunity to support and empower eye care professionals who can make a real difference to the eye health of generations to come. Together we have an important role to play in the fight against myopia.”
The myopia certification program is part of the premium content offered on the Leonardo U.S. website. It can either be purchased singularly or by subscribing to the annual plan. Eye care professionals can leverage the three-month free trial now and get free access to this certification. For more information, download the flyer here.