Public awareness of childhood myopia is expected to rise following an agreement by the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to campaign together.
IAPB is the leading global alliance for the eye health sector, with member organisations in more than 100 countries working together for a world where everyone has universal access to eye care.
GMAC was established in 2019, and comprises leading eye health companies and associations. The coalition develops public campaigns alongside health care and allied professions to drive awareness and education surrounding myopia risks and treatments. Its aim is to make parents of myopic children more receptive to recommendations from their eye care professionals, and to change behaviours, by increasing the time children spend outdoors and decreasing the time they spend on screens. It also seeks to influence policy at national and global levels, to make clinical and health promotion activities possible.
GMAC Chairperson and President of CooperVision Specialty EyeCare, Dr Juan Carlos Aragón said, “The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition enthusiastically welcomes the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness as a partner to help raise awareness of the worldwide increase in the prevalence and severity of paediatric myopia. Its participation will further extend and tighten the alignment between the bodies and individuals necessary to conquer this growing issue.
“Bringing together corporations, associations, and now non-governmental organisations and the public health sector through IAPB, places us that much closer to overcoming the global myopia epidemic.”
IAPB CEO Peter Holland said, “Myopia is one of the greatest challenges that faces eye health in the coming decades. IAPB is delighted to join GMAC, following its great success raising awareness and building understanding of childhood myopia. We are looking forward to joining in with GMAC’s innovative campaigns and working with our members to take the message of myopia awareness to a global audience.”
In line with the partnership, IAPB will be represented on GMAC’s board of directors. Find out more at: www.AllAboutVision.com/GMAC.
