May 15, 2024
By Arthur Jung, OD
I have such a passion for myopia, and that’s clear in how I communicate with my patients and their parents. My best advice for other practitioners is to be proactive. I talk to ALL my patients about myopia — even if they’re not myopic.
Dr. Jung offers his myopia patients OrthoK, soft multifocal contact lenses, and low-dose atropine.
I have been in the eye care field for over 20 years now, while practicing myopia management for nearly a decade. I have two practices in Manhattan with my business partner and classmate, Dr. Traci Goldstein, and our practice stresses the importance of empathetic patient care while embracing new treatments and technology. Metropolitan Vision has served the community for over 45 years, and I am very proud of that.
In late 2018, we cold-started a myopia and specialty lens practice in lower Manhattan, steps from Chinatown, the Financial District, and Tribeca. As an active member of this community, I noticed the impact of myopia on the quality of life of children. Going to the soccer field, swim class, or martial arts, glasses got in the way for these kids. With my intervention, most of the neighborhood kids no longer wear glasses. At the same time, we’re reducing the risk of sight-threatening conditions in adulthood; all it took was proper parental education.
Getting Started with Myopia Management
Myopia management hit me right in the face. I noticed an increase in myopia among our patients. Friends and family members were often calling asking why their kids needed glasses so soon and whether that was normal.
About a decade ago, we started slowly by introducing low-dose atropine and dual focus and extended depth-of-focus soft contact lenses to select patients. It hit close to home when I noticed my own children becoming very myopic at a young age. By the time they were around 6, I started them in NaturalVue 1 Day multifocal lenses. Like most highly myopic parents, it brought back my traumatic childhood memories of wearing glasses and the impact that had on my quality of life. The worst part was the feeling of guilt. Did I do this to my kids? Knowing there is science behind myopia management and that we have the solutions at our fingertips makes those feelings easy to cope with. This is often how I explain myopia management to other parents in the exam room.
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Dr. Jung is able to treat myopic children all across Manhattan at Metropolitan Vision.
When we first diagnose a patient with myopia, we set up a one-hour consultation to carefully collect all the data needed, and then we figure out the overall risk of myopia. This is no different from treating glaucoma. You must assess all the risk factors and then formulate a treatment plan. We determine this on a case-by-case basis, and we explain to the parent that the treatment plan can change as we follow your child carefully through the years.
Talk to Every Parent
I have such a passion for myopia, and that’s clear in how I communicate with my patients and their parents. My best advice for other practitioners is to be proactive. I talk to ALL my patients about myopia — even if they’re not myopic. It’s beneficial to share the latest technology and what you do as a doctor. You’ll be surprised how many referrals you get from discussing your passions. Being in practice for 20 years, your patients become like family and friends. You can speak to them about anything; they are happy to hear it.
When I present myopia management options, most parents are wide eyed and intrigued. They all say the same thing, “Why haven’t I heard about this?” Leave them wanting to know more and set up a separate consultation. We use handouts and pamphlets to start their education, but the technique that works best is giving yourself ample time to answer all their questions. I tend to do that even before the consultation begins. I set up a time for us to talk on the phone or via email, which helps to dispel any myths about myopia management treatments and which can also speed up your consultation.
Currently, we’re in the process of creating the Anti-Myopia Myopia Club for kids in our office. All our myopia patients will be part of the club, we’ll host parties, and they’ll all get a cool t-shirt. This will be a great — and fun — way to inform parents about our myopia management services.
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The latest addition to Dr. Jung’s practice: a new myopia management program, ‘The Anti Myopia Myopia Club.’
Taking Action in the Industry
As a long-time practitioner, I started with myopia management by immersing myself in all the educational opportunities available to me. I learned as much as I could about the science behind myopia management and the different treatment modalities. I went to Vision By Design and attended numerous bootcamps, the most notable being Supercharge Your Practice by Dr. Nicholas Despotidis. I look up to him as a role model, and we need more caring and selfless practitioners like Dr. D. You learn so much by working with like-minded individuals who are on the same path.
Now, I’m working with Dr. Glenda Aleman’s OK Love organization to host Myopia Control Bootcamps in New York City. There is such a need in our industry for more access to local education, especially for busy practitioners who can’t invest time to travel to national meetings. With these Bootcamps, we aim to arm and empower practitioners with the right materials, education, tools, and support to jump start their myopia practices.
The Future is Bright
New ODs are coming out of optometry school armed with much more knowledge in myopia management than I ever had. But there still is a long road ahead. I want to thank all the researchers, educators, and pioneers who paved the road for us and continue to do so. Educate yourself, teach the next generation, and so forth. Ten years from now, I see myopia management at the forefront of optometry and part of every primary care practice.
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Dr. Arthur Jung graduated from the SUNY College of Optometry class of 2003 and completed his residency at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He has two practices in New York City, where he helps his patients find custom solutions to their needs. Dr. Jung is dedicated to myopia management and specializes in orthokeratology for children and scleral lenses for keratoconus. He also has a passion for dry eye treatments utilizing the latest technologies. His passion for myopia management grew from having high myopia since childhood. He joined Johnson & Johnson Vision as a PAC in 2021. He is an active member of the AAOMC, AOA, and AAO. He lives with his wife and children in Manhattan. He enjoys snowboarding, golf, climbing, and hiking. |
