Myopia Awareness Week – getting people talking

World Council of Optometry and Brien Holden Vision Institute are collaborating to bring us Myopia Awareness Week, 13 – 19 May 2019.

Together they are inspiring action in caregivers to protect their children’s vision and changing the way optometrists understand and treat myopia.

“We know that almost half the world’s population will be myopic by the year 2050¹, with nearly one billion people in the high myopia category. Myopia Awareness Week is about getting people talking about myopia in homes and optometry practices around the world,” stated WCO President, Dr Scott Mundle.

Together WCO and BHVI are addressing the prevalence of myopia globally by building an awareness that will help mitigate the effect that myopia will have on billions of lives.

“We want to improve communication about myopia and its implication on lives, particularly children. We want caregivers to understand that children’s eye health is an important part of their overall health and development. We also want to make sure that optometrists are equipped with the knowledge to help treat their myopic patients. Ultimately, our efforts are about building a movement to fight this myopia epidemic that we all we see coming,” said Dr Mundle.

“There is much happening in research, product development and professional education to meet the myopia challenge, but it is critical we engage with those at the frontline – parents, guardians and eye care practitioners – to ensure they have the understanding and tools to protect our children’s futures,” said Ms Yvette Waddell, CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute. “This is an important and timely initiative involving the optometry profession globally,” she added.

For more information about Myopia Awareness Week email them at [email protected] or visit their social media accounts @MyopiaMovement

Reference

1. Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, Wong TY, Naduvilath TJ, Resnikoff S, Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050, Ophthalmology, May 2016 Volume 123, Issue 5, Pages 1036–1042.