The International Myopia Institute (IMI) has released IMI2 – a second series of myopia whitepapers that builds on the ground breaking first series, released in 2019.
The new white papers focus on the impact of myopia, complications associated with myopia, risk factors and practice patterns.
Over 134 global experts across public health, health economic modelling, and ophthalmologists, researchers and practitioners leading the science and research on myopia, contributed to IMI2.
The new white papers focus on the impact of myopia, complications associated with myopia, risk factors and practice patterns
Dr Monica Jong, IMI’s Executive Director, said the group had “a transparent mission to advance myopia research and management to prevent future vision loss and blindness… We have very simple aims with huge outcomes, which are to produce white papers that can be used for advocacy, education, research and clinical management.
“We have translated our clinical summaries into over 12 international languages, ensuring that even people in places where no one can access scientific papers, or where myopia management does not exist, can learn about myopia management in their native language and know that they can treat myopia.”
While the priorities for myopia management, as defined in IMI1 have not changed, IMI2 places more emphasis on premyopes and managing high myopia. Additionally, there are updates on new interventions and combination therapies, as well as discussion on areas of interest such as accommodation and binocular vision in myopia development and progression.
The risk factor report identifies that education and time outdoors are key factors associated with myopia onset and progression. It also explores the mechanisms underpinning or causing onset and progression, which remain uncertain. For example, when considering the association between education and myopia; is it near work, accommodative lag, or peripheral hyperopic defocus or signalling of ON OFF pathways or limited time outdoors?
There are also updates on new interventions and combination therapies for myopia management.
“What we now have is more evidence on certain strategies,” said IMI Taskforce Chair Padmaja Sankaridurg. “For example, three year data with contact lenses, such as that from MiSight, is exciting and provides the practitioner with much confidence in prescribing such products. Additionally, there is data on newer types of myopia control strategies, for example multisegment spectacles which offer further insight. There is also a focus on trying to understand if we can provide improved efficacy with combination treatments.”
The IMI’s first series of white papers made an enormous impact and the second series is expected to follow suit. In the two years since publication, the IMI interventions paper and IMI definitions paper have been cited up to 76 times.
“The IMI 2019 white papers brought myopia management to places where it was unheard of or in its infancy, for example Siberia and Brazil. They also helped change the way clinicians thought of myopia – an ocular condition as opposed to being a purely refractive issue,” said Dr Jong.
“Myopia management is an area that is changing at a fast pace, making it both exciting and challenging for practitioners to keep up. There was enormous enthusiasm within the committee in releasing this second series of papers. We anticipate that it will make a significant difference to practitioners and patients worldwide.”
Turn to page 30 to find out more about the IMI2. To download IMI2, visit myopiainstitute.org/imi-whitepapers.
