A group of 33 retailers, insurers, equipment manufacturers, eye doctors, researchers and a consumer advocate met in Denver, Colorado, to encourage a unified approach to promoting public awareness of the risks associated with childhood myopia.

Asian countries, where myopia rates are the highest, will be at the forefront of driving change, said the aptly named Myopia Awareness Coalition, which also predicted revised screening guidelines will lead to better and earlier vision testing for children, while screen time for children will become even more controversial, with educators and health care experts in opposing camps. Another key insight from the group was there is currently no single, easy-to-understand message about the importance of identifying and treating myopia.

During the meeting, Matt Oerding, CEO of Washington DC-based myopia treatment centre, Treehouse Eyes, which founded the coalition, shared a case study on how the American Dental Association and industry partnered effectively to change US consumer attitudes about the importance of oral health and regular dental visits, and suggested something similar could work for the eye health sector. Alignment between optometry and ophthalmology was also identified as critical to influence other health care providers such as paediatricians, as well as increasing lobbying efforts to gain government support, said the coalition.

In other myopia-related news, the Brien Holden Vision Institute has joined forces with the World Council of Optometry (WCO) to promote Myopia Awareness Week globally in 2019. “We are thrilled to join with the World Council of Optometry on this much larger campaign to raise awareness on a global scale,” said BHVI Professor Kovin Naidoo. “The partnership will garner the support of industry and other key players to make sure the message of the looming public health crisis and the need for action reaches large sectors of the general population as well as practitioners.”