April 15, 2026
By Kaori Asano, OD
Image of Eyes on Fulton. All photos courtesy of Dr. Asano.
I opened my practice, Eyes on Fulton, in Chicago’s Fulton Market district 10 years ago, after residency and working several years in private practice. A former co-resident was forming a consulting firm and offered to help me start a practice from scratch, and I became their first client. They helped me find office space, set up everything on the business side and guide me through all the initial steps.
Starting cold meant I had to learn quickly and make deliberate choices about where to invest limited funds. I wanted control over how care was delivered and the ability to invest in services I believed in. Owning a practice let me build the workflow and buy the equipment that I wanted. I also wanted to be able to respond to patient’s needs and create programs focused on prevention and long-term eye health.
Myopia Management Adapts, So Should We
Myopia management was not a major part of my practice at the beginning. A decade ago, options were limited and many treatments were off-label. As evidence and approvals continued to increase, and as demand from families grew, I gradually added services to my practice. Starting from scratch meant that I didn’t invest into certain equipment upon initial opening, but I never let that stop me. I invested in a corneal topographer about four years into opening my practice to expand my myopia management offerings.
I discovered that with myopia management, you simply have to start somewhere. Start with what you are most comfortable with. For example, soft lens management can help get your feet wet. If you’re not quite comfortable with orthokeratology, but you know that it’s a tool that you want to use, start by signing up for continuing education classes or a seminar. It can be an expense and time away from your practice, but you’ll be able to recover that quickly if you dive headfirst into OrthoK. It’s worth investing in something that will benefit your practice as well as your patient population.
Hands-on courses have helped me gain proficiency in OrthoK and other myopia management modalities. Being subscribed to specialty newsletters and having regular contact with industry reps for protocol updates help keep me in the loop on the latest advances in myopia management. I believe that practical, focused training is the best route for practitioners who want to add myopia management to their offices. With multiple learning avenues, it’s just a matter of making the choices that best fit your needs to grow the myopia management portion of your practice.
Myopia Management is Not ‘One-Size-Fits-All’
Conversations about myopia management usually start during a routine eye exam, or as a focused consultation with referrals. I explain the goals, the expected follow-up and the daily realities of each treatment option. Many parents research options online after a referral. They often ask about outcomes, safety and cost. I present the evidence in practical terms and tailor recommendations to the child’s lifestyle. My aim is to balance effectiveness with what the family will reliably maintain.
Currently, I offer multiple approaches because no single option fits every child. My preferred tool is OrthoK, because it frees kids from wearing glasses or daytime contacts. Because the lenses are small and easier to handle, I can fit very young children — some of whom are five or six years old. I also fit multifocal soft contact lenses or administer low-dose atropine therapy when appropriate. Daily soft lenses and myopia control glasses are useful for kids who aren’t a good fit for OrthoK, or whose families prefer a less hands-on option. Myopia control spectacle lenses may also be an option for patients who may not be ready for contacts.
I also mix treatments based on the child’s age, prescription, activities and family preference. For example, a 6-year-old who loves wearing glasses and does not play sports might be best served with a specialized spectacle lens plus low-dose atropine.
Looking Ahead
Myopia is an epidemic. Although myopia management is lucrative for the practitioner, the bigger picture is that it helps children long-term. Too few practitioners participate, so I encourage my students, who I teach part-time at the Illinois College of Optometry, to try and focus on learning while in school so they can use this knowledge once practicing. We need more optometrists to be comfortable with these treatments and prescribe them more often. Teaching new practitioners and offering accessible training will help close the gap between those who do this work and those who do not. If more practices add these services, we can have a meaningful impact on the long-term eye health of children.
For me, myopia management is a promising and rewarding area of optometry and I think that practitioners can adopt it without much difficulty. There is more technology and there are more lens options coming in the near future, including scleral lenses for OrthoK and other types of spectacle lenses. With increasing FDA approvals, I expect more U.S. research and wider adoption, which I find exciting.
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Kaori Asano, OD, is the owner of Eyes on Fulton in Chicago, Illinois. Opening her practice, Eyes on Fulton, has fulfilled a dream for Dr. Asano. She looks forward to providing the public with excellent eye care while using modern technology and styling patients with high-quality eyewear. She attended the Illinois College of Optometry, where she graduated magna cum laude with her Doctorate of Optometry. After completing an optional primary care/ocular disease residency at the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI), she became a faculty member and she teaches optometry students as a Clinical Assistant Professor. |
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