Globally, 130 eye care organisations and 50,375 individuals have now pledged to adopt the World Council of Optometry’s (WCO) Myopia Management Standard of Care. Consequently, a new target of 100,000 pledges has been set.
WCO President-elect Dr Sandra Block described the response from optometrists, eye health researchers, contact lens marketers, and optometry students as “amazing”.
“Individual and organizational pledges to date span 86 countries and all continents in the world. Taking the pledge sends a clear message that organisations and practitioners understand the seriousness of myopia as a public health threat and that they are taking active measures to manage that threat. We are delighted to see so many are responding to the challenge and encourage those who haven’t yet to take the pledge today.”
The myopia management standard of care resolution was introduced in April 2021, defining an evidence-based standard of care for:
• Mitigation — Optometrists educating and counselling parents and children during early and regular eye exams, on lifestyle, dietary, and other factors to prevent or delay the onset of myopia.
• Measurement — Optometrists evaluating the status of a patient during regular comprehensive vision and eye health exams, such as measuring refractive error and axial length whenever possible.
• Management — Optometrists addressing patients’ needs by correcting myopia, while also providing evidence-based interventions (e.g., contact lenses, spectacles, pharmaceuticals) that slow the progression of myopia, for improved quality of life and better eye health.
Find out more and access resources at: myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info.
