November 21, 2024
ST. LOUIS — The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and CooperVision’s myopia management ambassadors are featured in a new roundtable discussion video regarding the organizations’ educational resources, offering their insights on advancing myopia care globally, and highlighting the availability of the WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator.
In the video, three of the four WCO myopia management ambassadors — Nicola Logan, Jagrut Lallu, and Síofra Harrington — came together for the first time to talk about the new educational resource and offer their insights on advancing myopia care globally. The conversation took place during the International Myopia Conference (IMC) in Sanya, China.
WCO partnered with CooperVision, a global leader in myopia management, to launch the Navigator in April 2024 as part of its efforts to further the adoption of myopia management as the standard of care. The Navigator is a free, interactive guide to evidence-based content, advice, and practical actions across the three Ms of managing myopia: mitigation, measurement, and management.
“With myopia reaching pandemic levels, the need to treat it proactively and slow its progression in children has never been greater,” said WCO President Dr. Sandra Block. “Since launching earlier this year, the WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator has already demonstrated its value in guiding eye care professionals in those important conversations with young patients and their families while helping advance myopia management as the standard of care. We are incredibly grateful to our ambassadors for their continued partnership in raising awareness of the Navigator on a global scale.”
The ambassadors’ roundtable discussion was moderated by Elizabeth Lumb, Director of Global Professional Affairs, Myopia, at CooperVision.
“Our global ambassadors are leaders in the field of myopia management and are perfectly placed to introduce the Navigator to a wider audience and champion this cause,” said Lumb. “Hearing Nicola, Jagrut, and Síofra share the feedback they’ve already received about the Navigator — and how it’s being used by both experienced eye care professionals and those new to myopia management — highlights just how valuable they are in helping CooperVision and the WCO’s shared ambition in driving the adoption of myopia management with the support of this important resource.”
The WCO appointed a team of ambassadors, comprised of Nicola Logan, Global Ambassador, professor of optometry and physiological optics at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom; Jagrut Lallu Asia-Pacific Ambassador, owner of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand; Síofra Harrington, European Ambassador, lecturer and researcher at Technological University Dublin; and Ashley Wallace Tucker, Americas Ambassador, optometrist and owner of Bellaire Family Eye Care in Houston, Texas, to spread the word about the Navigator based on their myopia management educational roles, outreach, and practice-building initiatives. All four Navigator ambassadors are actively involved in day-to-day myopia management. For their full biographies, visit the WCO website.
“Translating research into clinical practice is essential for integrating myopia management worldwide, and using the Navigator supports these efforts,” said Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FBCLA, Global Ambassador. “The clinicians I’ve shared the Navigator with find it to be a great resource. It’s beneficial not only for those just starting out with myopia management by providing a comprehensive overview, but also for those who have some knowledge about myopia but want access to up-to-date evidence.”
To access the WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator, visit myopianavigator.info. Explore the World Council of Optometry’s myopia management online resource featuring the standard of care pledge signup page, resolution, practical tools, and information for optometrists at https://myopia.
For questions about myopia management, email the WCO ambassadors at MMNambassador@worldoptometry.
Review of Myopia Management also caught up with Jagrut Lallu, Nicola Logan, and Siofra Harrington at the International Myopia Conference in Hainan Island, China. Hear from them in these videos:
New Zealand optometrist Jagrut Lallu
Professor Nicola Logan
Dublin optometrist Siofra Harrington
