June 15, 2023
Meeting Chair, Dr. Dwight Akerman presented ‘Myopia Management A to Z’ at THE Myopia Meeting in Vancouver.
VANCOUVER, Canada — On Sunday, June 11, leaders in the eye care field gathered here for the second live THE Myopia Meeting of the year. THE Myopia Meeting featured four hours of COPE-approved continuing education courses interspersed with clinical reviews from some of the most influential companies and practitioners in the myopia management space.
Growing Your Myopia Management Practice
Following a brief introduction from Review of Myopia Management’s Chief Medical Editor Dwight Akerman, OD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA, FIACLE, the meeting kicked off with Gary Gerber, OD, who presented: “The Research is In. These Are the Two Sentences You Need to Grow Your Myopia Management Practice.” After warming up the audience with his astounding feats of mentalism, Dr. Gerber then shared his experience teaching practices how to build a successful myopia management practice.
Using the 4,500-year-old pyramids as an analogy for the stability that comes from a good foundation, he said that the base of your myopia management pyramid is to really care. “Your mission is not to make more money. Your mission should be that you want the kids not to get worse.” Then, specifically addressing the attendees of TMM’s all-day COPE CE program, he said, “The reason you show up on a Sunday is because you really care.”
Dr. Gerber then mentioned other levels of the myopia management pyramid that should be built upon that foundation, including aligning your staff to have the same passion as you, building office systems such as scheduling and fees that streamline the process of starting and continuing treatment, and the importance of delivering the correct messaging.
 |
 |
Dr. Jason Shen presented for EssilorLuxottica and Kim Kochendorfer, a myopia management specialist, spoke on behalf of HOYA Vision Care.
So, what are the two sentences suggested by the title of Dr. Gerber’s presentation? After another dramatic pause filled with more of his signature mentalism, he shared these magic words with TMM attendees to use: “I’m done with my examination, and now I’d like to treat your son’s myopia. Is that okay?” Deliver those two sentences as if treatment is a done deal, and parents will invariably say “yes.”
‘Orthokeratology Advanced Ground Rounds’
Sherman Tung, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, presented the second CE course of the day: “Orthokeratology Advanced Grand Rounds.” In this hour-long session, Dr. Tung’s two main goals were to share the best advice for troubleshooting different OrthoK cases and strategies for problem solving difficult OrthoK cases. After sharing the anatomy of an OrthoK lens, Dr. Tung presented his case studies.
He broke down two cases of OrthoK patients, one of which was a 6-year-old South Asian male, and the other was a 14-year-old Asian female. Dr. Tung shared both patients’ histories, including their lifestyles and habits at home, and their pre-treatment topographies and K readings. For each case, Dr. Tung walked through his whole experience with the patient: why he chose that particular treatment, lens design, the follow-up schedule (one night, one week, one month, etc.), and the results at each appointment. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Tung shared his thought process behind each decision that he made with the patients, as well as tips for attendees to take home and utilize with their patients.
The session ended with four primary take-home messages:
- Sometimes, a lens may look perfect initially, but the consequent outcomes may be different.
- Don’t make too many changes at once.
- Don’t be afraid to try different lenses and designs.
- Axial length is here to stay to help with myopia management plan decisions.
‘The Myopia Startup: Implementing Myopia Management in Your Practice’
The third session of the day came from Harbir Sian, OD, who presented: “The Myopia Startup: Implementing Myopia Management in Your Practice.” Dr. Sian explained that he got into myopia management unintentionally. At the time, there were no approved contact or spectacle lenses, so he started with atropine, for which the LAMP study gave him more confidence. He then outlined a seven-step process for incorporating myopia management into your optometric practice — 1) starting the conversation, 2) developing an algorithm as a structure for the process, 3) diagnosis, 4) offering solutions, 5) developing a team approach to make sure everyone in your practice is onboard, 6) building industry relationships, and 7) marketing.
‘Myopia Management from A to Z’
The final CE course of the day came from Dr. Akerman, who presented “Myopia Management from A to Z.” The session began with a breakdown of what myopia management is: being proactive, identifying risk factors for myopia and high myopia, providing information, advice, and recommendations to children and parents, and prescribing appropriate interventions to slow myopia progression and reduce the risk of developing high myopia.
Dr. Gerber shared his best advice for practitioners to grow their myopia management offerings.
From there, Dr. Akerman discussed the prevalence of myopia across the U.S., Canada, and the globe, as well as the projected prevalence in the coming years. Among his key points were that myopia is a disease and that there is no safe level of myopia.
The session concluded with a summary of the available treatments for myopia and a call to action for practitioners to start getting involved in the myopia epidemic.
Clinical Reviews
Throughout the day, clinical reviews were presented by event sponsors CooperVision, Johnson & Johnson Vision, HOYA Vision Care, and EssilorLuxottica.
Ying Zhao, OD, presented for CooperVision, sharing details from the company’s seven-year MiSight clinical trial. Dr. Zhao started by sharing what we know about the rebound effect of myopia management treatments, and the evidence that’s showed no evidence of patient rebound with MiSight 1 day contact lenses. Ceasing MiSight 1 day wear did not lead to more rapid increase in progression compared to children wearing single-vision spectacles after 12 months. She highlighted all of the major findings from the study, including changes in participants’ spherical equivalent, refractive error, and axial length over the course of the seven years. Then, Dr. Zhao ended the session by summarizing the major findings from the seven-year study: no evidence of continued slowed growth nor further accumulation treatment effect; no evidence of accelerated growth that would cancel prior treatment effect; and age-normal growth following cessation of treatment (ultimately retaining the prior treatment effect).
Dr. Zhao shared results from CooperVision’s recent seven-year study on MiSight 1 day contact lenses.
Vishakha Thakrar, OD, FAAO, FSLS, presented for Johnson & Johnson Vision: “Taking Charge of Myopia with ACUVUE Abiliti.” Dr. Thakrar discussed both of Johnson & Johnson Vision’s myopia management treatments currently available in Canada — the Abiliti 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses and the Abiliti Overnight Therapeutic Lenses. She explained the proven efficacy of both the soft contact lenses and the OrthoK lenses, the pediatric eye-inspired design, and the RingBoost Technology — a specialized optical design where light that passes through the outer treatment zone is focused in front of the retina but off the line of sight in a ring around the axis. Dr. Thakrar concluded by presenting the resources available for practitioners to share with patients and their parents for the ACUVUE Abiliti lenses for myopia management.
Attendees were able to learn from leading manufacturers in the field of myopia management.
In her presentation for HOYA Vision Care, Kim Kochendorfer, a myopia management specialist for HOYA and an optician, discussed the results from the company’s six-year study on its DIMS (defocus incorporated multiple segments) spectacle lenses. As the longest myopia control spectacle lens study, HOYA’s myopia management spectacles have showed a sustained effect over the course of six years. Patients enrolled in the study showed an average progression of less than -1.00D and average axial elongation of 0.10mm per year. Kochendorfer wrapped up her discussion with HOYA’s latest release — the MiYOSMART sun range, which were designed to continue providing myopia treatment while also protecting patients’ eyes from the sun. The photochromic Chameleon lens is currently available in Canada, and the Sunbird polarized option will launch in July.
Jason Shen, PhD, FAAO, presented the clinical review for EssilorLuxottica, focusing on the randomized control study results of the company’s Stellest spectacle lens for slowing the progression of myopia. Specifically, he shared the three-year myopia control efficacy of the Stellest lens H.A.L.T. technology, which has proven effective for slowing the progression of axial length growth, even for older kids.
THE Myopia Meeting will continue with two more events in 2023, one in Parsippany, NJ, on September 24, 2023, and the next in Toronto, on December 3, 2023.
THE Myopia Meeting Conference Speakers and Sponsors Share Event Highlights
To get more insight into the field of myopia management from the leading experts in the field, Review of Myopia Management went straight to the source. Listen to the short interview clips below with speakers and sponsors of THE Myopia Meeting to learn more about the latest myopia management topics.
Vishakha Thakrar, OD, FAAO, FSLS
Gary Gerber, OD
Harbir Sian, OD
Kim Kochendorfer, Myopia Management Specialist for HOYA Vision Care, Optician
Sherman Tung, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC
Trevor Kojima, Precision Services Technology
