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February 18, 2025
By Kristen Dalli, Managing Editor, Review of Myopia Management
Whether you’ve been providing myopia management in your practice for years or you’re just beginning, having educational resources readily available is essential for ensuring your patients receive the highest quality of care.
To simplify the process of accessing evidence-based resources, Topcon Healthcare Inc., has introduced Myopia123.com. The site, designed to make myopia management as easy as 1-2-3, features valuable tools, insights, and educational resources to assist ECPs in integrating effective myopia management into their clinical practices. The platform is organized into three core sections: myopia awareness, clinical management, and practice management, supporting ECPs in all key aspects of developing a successful myopia practice. These sections offer a comprehensive approach to myopia management, including education on its impact, mastery of clinical care, and optimization of practice operations.
The new platform is designed to guide ECPs through every stage of myopia management, from early detection to treatment and follow-up care. By providing actionable insights and practical tools, Myopia123.com helps streamline clinical workflows, enhance practice productivity, and ultimately improve patient outcomes, especially for children at risk of progressive myopia.
Breaking Down the 1-2-3
At the heart of Myopia123 is education. One of the primary goals is to help practitioners quickly access the latest myopia management educational resources. To do this, education on the site is divided into three core categories:
- Myopia Awareness: The goal of this section of the website is to help practitioners educate parents and patients about the importance of early intervention and the risks associated with progressive myopia. Practitioners can access free resources, including a Myopia Awareness Brochure and an Axial Length Advantage Guide. The Myopia Awareness Brochure communicates the importance of early detection and proactive management of myopia. At the same time, the Axial Length Advantage Guide highlights the importance of measuring axial length in tracking and managing myopia progression. These resources can help practitioners in their patient and parent education, making conversations about starting treatment more straightforward and more effective.
- Clinical Management: In this section, ECPs will find a step-by-step roadmap for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring myopia in children. There are three key resources found in this section:
- Comprehensive Myopia Assessment Guide: This document helps practitioners gather patient history, conduct clinical assessments, and document and plan the course of treatment and next steps. The template provides a structured method for evaluating and managing myopia, keeping the patient’s specific and unique needs at the forefront.
- Myopia Management Intervention Guide: This resource provides practitioners with an overview of various treatment options for managing myopia, including detailed insights into each intervention, to aid in making informed decisions.
- Follow-up Care Checklist: Once the patient has been evaluated and a treatment method has been chosen, practitioners can use the follow-up checklist to monitor treatment progress. The guide points out key metrics to measure, including refractive error and axial length, and it includes a suggested follow-up schedule to ensure patients are properly monitored. A section also helps practitioners identify if their chosen myopia treatment needs to be adjusted based on the patient’s progress.
- Practice Management: The final step is practice management. Here, practitioners can find resources to seamlessly integrate myopia management services while maximizing practice productivity. The resources in this section include a Myopia Screening Email Blast, a Myopia Management Sample Term Sheet, a Sample Letter to Referring Medical Professionals, and a Myopia Management Business Analysis Calculator. Each of these items helps practitioners reach every corner of their practice: patient outreach, strengthening referral relationships, practice finances, and a treatment services agreement.
Utilizing Myopia123 in Practice
To help practitioners get a sense of the practical applications of these tools, two experienced myopia management practitioners — Ashley Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, ABO Diplomate, and Glenda Aleman, OD — shared how the resources are beneficial.
“If I were just getting started with myopia management, I would read through the entire site to firm up my knowledge on myopia management, the many treatment options, follow-up care, and the business analysis calculator,” Dr. Tucker said. “This is an all-inclusive resource, and there is education for the practitioner to really help them get started.
“It’s always helpful to practitioners to have written documents or external resources to back up what they are telling families in-office,” she continued. “I also see this as a great opportunity for practice growth. ODs can share these resources with their adult myopic patients to encourage them to bring in their children for screenings/exams.”
“Myopia123 provides so many resources for practitioners, and if you’re just getting started, it will make the conversations you have with patients and their parents that much easier,” Dr. Aleman said. “The sample letter to share with referring clinicians and the myopia screening email blast are two that stand out to me — these are perfect if you’re just starting out with myopia management.
“It also helps doctors get started right away because it shows you step-by-step how to implement myopia management,” Dr. Aleman continued. “There are tools to guide you every step of the way and make that leap to start treating myopic patients.”
Integration with the Topcon MYAH
In addition to Myopia123, Drs. Tucker and Aleman also shared how Topcon’s optical biometer and corneal topographer, the MYAH, works in tandem with online resources to further enhance their myopia management offerings to patients.
“The MYAH allows me to track my patients’ axial elongation, and there are many benefits to having it in my office,” Dr. Aleman said. “For starters, it’s compact — it doesn’t take up a lot of space in my office, and it also doesn’t require me to have any additional computers or devices. It’s also very user-friendly for both my staff and me. I’ve found it so easy to use with patients and get the exact images that I need.
“One of my favorite features is the parent report that it generates for you at the end. The report includes refractive error data and axial length data, and I’m able to easily print it and share it with patients and use it as a talking point with parents. This is important to me because when parents come in with their children, they trust us to do our best and provide them with the best care. Having that report reassures the parents that our treatment plan is working, and we’re continuing with treatment for a proven reason, and that makes a difference to parents.”
“Discussing eye growth really resonates with parents,” Dr. Tucker said. “Most parents don’t realize that an increase in prescription means the eye is getting longer and weaker. Being able to quantify and share this number with families really solidifies how important myopia management truly is.
“An increase in axial growth directly correlates with a higher risk of ocular pathologies, and tracking this number allows parents to feel much more confident in my efforts to control their child’s myopia,” she continued. “It’s not just about their refractive error — it’s about growth of the eye!”
In summary, Myopia123.com not only simplifies the complexities of myopia management but also helps eye care professionals stay ahead of the curve in an evolving field. By offering practical resources, educating ECPs on innovative technologies like the MYAH optical biometer, and providing ongoing support, the platform ensures that ECPs are well-equipped to deliver the most effective and personalized care. As myopia rates continue to rise globally, Myopia123.com plays a crucial role in equipping practitioners to manage this growing challenge and provide children with the best possible outcomes for long-term visual health.
Learn more about Dr. Tucker’s experience in this video:
