November 1, 2025
By Kevin Chan, OD, MS, FAAO, IACMM
Dancing in the Storm
The advent of Essilor’s Stellest lens as the first FDA-approved spectacle to slow the progression of pediatric myopia,1 undoubtedly serves as a promising remedy. The treatment modality is poised to become a mainstay, and also provide an opportunity for a wider spectrum of patients to receive myopia treatment, as parents generally have a more intuitive understanding of the use of glasses for their children.
Adrenaline and endorphins are rushing through every practitioner’s bloodstream lately. Launching ophthalmic spectacle lenses for myopia management has certainly been a viral trend in the optometric community. Yet, innovation sails along with change. Change is inevitable—and also inevitably hard. Nearly 60% of people with New Year’s resolutions self-doubt or flop by the end of January.2 Change may not always be conducive to all people. In fact, it implies a shake-up to our core mental and emotional stability. Change has shown to increase stress, anxiety, uncertainty and fear.3,4 The diagnosis, “Adjustment Disorder,” describes how some people react excessively and impulsively to stress or changes in circumstances.4
In health care, launching new services or products, like implementing a new type of glasses for myopia management, signifies an intent of making exciting and positive changes for patients. Paradoxically, however, the positive changes we intend to make may sometimes create more havoc than we anticipated. While the FDA approval stamp undoubtedly reinforces the clinical merits of ophthalmic glasses for myopia management, it may be understood and processed differently among people of different roles in the office. A mixture of elation, confusion and anxiety ensues. Whenever launching a new program or process, it is expected to trigger a “perfect storm” moment, or an action-reaction dynamic, among all members in the team.
To incorporate myopia control spectacles as part of the myopia treatment regimen, a shift of treatment paradigm matters more than the product itself. What can we do to handle the seemingly formidable shift in mindsets? How do we implement actionable strategies to help the team weather the uncertainties and make the experience fruitful and impactful for patients and your practice?
Understanding Uncertainties in Myopia Management
Unlike offering routine advice to patients regarding bifocal or progressive (PAL) glasses, introducing new ophthalmic lenses designed specifically for myopia management can bring more questions than answers. Staff may have questions about product efficacy, patient acceptance and more impactfully, how it brings changes to the established workflow. These uncertainties can indirectly lead to apprehension and resistance to advocate for myopia management at large. Therefore, it is crucial for practitioners to acknowledge and address the uncertainties with the staff proactively.
- Clinical Uncertainty: Misunderstanding or confusion can arise if no clinical benchmark is known or developed for the staff. Share key studies or infographics with the staff that discuss long-term effectiveness and safety of new lens technologies. It can build credibility and rapport with the staff and patients.
- Operational Uncertainty: Because of the unique spectacle lens design compared to conventional single vision, bifocal, or PAL lenses, it is advisable to have staff participate in curated training courses, not simply for the product itself, but also the whole paradigm of myopia management. Create an open discussion with the optician and other staff members about the fitting processes and patient education for adaptation. Also prepare a simple FAQ cheat-sheet and have the staff anticipate how to address those inquiries with clear and specific verbiage at check-out.
- Market Uncertainty: Inventory management is contingent on patient demand. So, thorough assessment of the patient demographics via data mining in the electronic medical record (EMR) is key. Who are the key clientele? How do you select the right frame that matches well with the unique ophthalmic lens design? How can you help patients differentiate myopia control spectacles from single-vision spectacles when they essentially look identical? These questions need to be addressed wisely and strategically before launching a seamless treatment regimen via myopia control spectacles.
Where Are You Sailing in the Storm?
To develop proper footing and confidence in navigating in the perfect storm, it does not necessarily mean that practitioners have to mask all uncertainties or keep doing what they are comfortable with, or simply “hoping for the best.” In fact, navigating through the perfect storm requires us as practitioners to get soaked in the storm and reckon how to pivot. More importantly, we need to harness uncertainties as a new force of commitment.
Next month, I’ll be sharing more of the nuances of effective and practical steps in working through uncertainties and turning them into scalable opportunities for practice growth. In the meantime, learn to dance amid the perfect storm!
References
- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-marketing-first-eyeglass-lenses-slow-progression-pediatric-myopia
- https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail#:~:text=Researchers%20suggest%20that%20only%209,fail%20at%20New%20Year’s%20resolutions
- https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-19815-w
- https://oem.bmj.com/content/oemed/69/8/592.full.pdf
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adjustment-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20355224
