According to a recent Specsavers and The Canadian Council of the Blind survey conducted by Leger, half of Canadians do not know that 75% of vision loss is preventable and treatable and 51% are unaware or unsure of how often they should get an eye exam. Eye exams for those without pre-existing conditions should occur at a minimum of every 2 years, and every year for Canadians under 18 and over 65.

“The survey showed that most Canadians are unaware that most vision loss is preventable and treatable. This is concerning because if you believe vision loss is unavoidable, you may not take preventative measures for yourself or your family such as getting regular comprehensive eye exams,” said Naomi Barber, Clinical Services Director at Specsavers.

The Survey showed over one-third of Canadians (35%) would only book an eye exam if they experienced vision issues. Catching eye diseases early through a comprehensive eye exam allows for preventative measures to maintain as much vision as possible. What many don’t know is that often eye diseases, such as glaucoma, progress without symptoms in the early stages.

“This World Sight Day, we are encouraging Canadians who are overdue for an eye exam to book an appointment with their local optometrist,” said Jim Tokos, National President, The Canadian Council of the Blind. “There is a common myth that if your vision is good then your eyes are healthy. Unfortunately, that is not always true. More than 8 million Canadians are living with an eye disease that may lead to blindness. The goal is always to catch eye diseases before eyes start to show symptoms.”

“Specsavers has operated OCT for many years in different countries and has proven it is instrumental in preventative detection and management of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy,” said Barber. “Providing this technology as a part of every standard eye exam is the foundation of Specsavers journey to help end preventable blindness.”  

Specsavers Canadian Eye Exam Frequency Survey, September 2023
Click here or visit http://bit.ly/3MkWZZl 

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The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) announces that on World Sight Day, October 12, 2023, GMAC will be featured on a billboard in Times Square, New York City, to draw attention to the growing issue of myopia and the importance of getting children an annual eye exam.

The Times Square billboard is a partnership between GMAC and the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) International and will feature an awareness message to consumers that by 2050, 1 in 2 people will have myopia. It ends with a call to action to give your child a clear future and schedule an eye exam today.

In addition to the Times Square billboard, GMAC will be setting up a booth at the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting from October 11 to October 14, 2023, in New Orleans, LA.

At the booth, GMAC representatives will engage with AAO attendees, including optometrists, other eye care professionals, and industry representatives. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about GMAC’s mission, share insights on myopia management, and explore potential collaborations to address this public health concern.

Lisa McAlister, chair of the board of GMAC, expressed her excitement about these initiatives, stating, “We are eager to leverage Times Square’s visibility to raise awareness about myopia during World Sight Day. Our goal is to spark conversations about myopia, its impact, and the importance of proactive eye care for children. Additionally, our presence at the American Academy of Optometry annual meeting will provide a platform to collaborate with experts and advance our mission to increase awareness about myopia.”

Visit www.myopiaawareness.org for more information.

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CooperVision’s global leadership in addressing both presbyopia correction and myopia progression will take center stage at the American Academy of Optometry 2023 Annual Meeting, which opens this week in New Orleans.

The company’s researchers and partners are scheduled to present multiple scientific posters whose findings will aid how eye care professionals (ECPs) evaluate and prescribe a range of contact lenses to optimize patient experience and practice success.

“Over recent years, CooperVision has established a major presence on the scientific program at Academy. This reflects a deep commitment to extend research and development efforts well beyond commercializing innovative products. Once our contact lenses reach the marketplace, the team’s work continues to help build further confidence and expertise with ECPs and staff, including in selection, fitting, and wearer education,” said Francis Erard, the company’s Vice President of Research & Development.

New Dimensions in Managing Presbyopia

Known for its expertise in developing sophisticated multifocal contact lenses that consider patient lifestyles as well as day-to-day practice needs, CooperVision will provide a series of unique insights designed to further advance prescription options and care for presbyopes.

Seeking to help understand why contact lens drop-out rates may be higher among presbyopic patients compared to single vision wearers, Task-Based Evaluations of Two Daily Disposable Soft Multifocal Lenses (Luensmann D, et al) investigated subjective comfort and task-related vision performance. The randomized, subject masked, cross-over study of 51 habitual wearers used a Likert rating scale for statements surrounding feel and comfort, vision in different settings and situations (e.g., driving, laptop use), and reliability. Both lenses, including MyDay^® multifocal, largely met or exceeded the wearers’ task-based needs, suggesting that a multifocal lens deemed comfortable combined with good situational performance may protect against real world drop-out.

Achieving fit success without extended chair time may increase the likelihood of practices prescribing multifocal contact lenses. Investigators theorized that earlier prediction of patient trial outcomes could aid ECP confidence and subsequent multifocal adoption. Predictability of Multifocal Contact Lens Success at Dispense (Lazon de la Jara P, et al) combined data from three studies to quantify the relationship between the initial reaction to lenses at dispensing and predictability of overall vision satisfaction and intention to purchase after one week of wear. Among 210 participants, overall vision satisfaction on dispensing was a powerful predictor of both overall vision satisfaction (p < 0.001) and intention to purchase (p < 0.001) at one week, inferring that initial patient subjective assessments are a clinically useful indicator of longer-term successful multifocal wear.

CooperVision also sought to help current fitters of clariti^® 1 day multifocal contact lenses assess switching patients into the newer MyDay^® multifocal lens with Aquaform^® Technology and the unique Binocular Progressive System^™. Investigation of Ease of Fit to a Different Daily Disposable Multifocal Soft Lens (Woods J, et al) enrolled 60 wearers in a crossover, subject-masked study, each of whom wore optimal powers for two weeks of each product (post-adjustment if required). Subjects reported the transition to be easy, resulting in clear vision and through the wear period, with most stating that MyDay^® multifocal comfort and vision experiences met or exceeded their needs.

Significant Myopia Control and Management Insights

During Academy 2023, CooperVision will build upon its reputation for evidence-based approaches to myopia control and management through several studies.

Most prominent is Subjective Vision Experience in Soft Myopia Control Contact Lenses by Age (Guthrie S, et al), which compared short-term vision of preteens and teens between two lens designs. 26 children aged 8-15 years who had no prior history of contact lens wear or recent myopia control interventions participated in a single-visit, double-masked trial with study lenses—MiSight^® 1 day and ACUVUE^® Abiliti^™ 1-Day—randomly fit and worn contralaterally. MiSight^® 1 day was preferred by both groups for better distance vision measured subjectively and objectively, as well as for near visual acuity. Likewise, more preteens and teens chose MiSight^® 1 day as their overall lens preference after one hour of wear, citing vision as the primary reason. While teens had an equivalent objective vision experience to the preteens for both lenses, they were more likely to subjectively rate that experience lower than preteens. This indicates that teenagers may offer a more critical assessment of their vision, which ECPs should make note of for interactions with patients as they age.

With its growing prominence in China, MiSight^® 1 day was also the subject of Short-Term Clinical Performance and Vision Quality of Dual-Focus Soft Contact Lenses in Myopic Children in Shanghai, China (Zeng L, et al). 33 myopic children who were new to soft contact lens wear and with no prior myopia control intervention were fit with MiSight^® 1 day, then assessed after one week and one month. The lens demonstrated good clinical performance and stable vision quality across both timeframes.

Adding an additional study site and more participants to data first shared at the 2023 BCLA Clinical Conference, Software Guided Orthokeratology Fitting Success (Luensmann D., et al.) used CooperVision’s Visavy^™ platform to provide recommended parameters for Paragon^® CRT or CRT Dual Axis lenses. The experiences of 54 participants across four study sites were analyzed, with topography data, subjective refraction and white-to-white corneal diameter entered into the software. Only four eyes (<4%) from three subjects required a lens parameter change after the initial Visavy^™ recommendation. This >96% first fit success rate reflects probable time-saving and patient experience benefits of the new decision support technology for ortho-k practices.

CooperVision is also a sponsor of the Myopia in Practice (MIP) Study presented in New Orleans as part of the American Academy of Optometry Fellows Doing Research special interest group.

The company’s studies shared at Academy were conducted in conjunction with the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Ocular Technology Group International (OTGi), London, England; and Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Additional study information can be viewed within the Academy ’23 mobile app, in person at the COPE-accredited poster sessions in the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and on CooperVision.com.

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The Contact Lens Institute^™ (CLI) today published “The Culture Calculation: Data-Backed Behaviors for Contact Lens Success” in collaboration with The Vision Council. The in-depth guide, the latest in CLI’s “See Tomorrow” research series, is designed to help eye care practices enhance their contact lens cultures, in turn increasing patient satisfaction and practice business outcomes. It can be read or downloaded for no cost in the resources section of ContactLensInstitute.org.

The 19-page, infographic-rich report blends new quantitative research with practical insights and recommendations from forward-thinking optometrists, opticians, and technicians. Its release was timed to the 2023 American Academy of Optometry annual meeting in New Orleans.

“We previewed portions of our culture data at Vision Expo West to tremendous response. Emphasizing the upside potential for speaking with more patients about contact lenses and holistically measuring their value to a practice really struck a chord,” said Stan Rogaski, executive director of the Contact Lens Institute. “The full report goes considerably further, identifying what factors have the most potential to drive a positive contact lens culture both today and over the next three years. Paired with our other See Tomorrow projects and consumer data, it offers a customizable roadmap for eye care practices of all sizes.”

When asked which of 21 culture-building factors could make the greatest difference if given more attention or resources, responses were spread across several possibilities. After accounting for product availability, as well as new products and treatments, members of the eye care community focused on items under their direct control: education and training, in-office advocacy, and the emotional and professional benefits of prescribing contact lenses.

Advancements in contact lens products and treatments likewise ranked high among factors that will have the greatest impact through 2026. Profitability as a driver of contact culture is also on the radar for the next three years, identified by 21% of the eye care community as having significant potential.

“CLI members appreciate the strong enthusiasm for continued contact lens access and innovation—something the industry has done for decades, with more to come as manufacturers make sizable investments in R&D and production,” said Rogaski. “We are also excited to see the focus on practice management-related culture drivers in the near future. Our findings indicate considerable potential to rethink how contact lens profitability is structured and calculated, and the report offers guidance and perspectives from highly successful colleagues.”

The research also saw respondents overwhelmingly state that online retail presented the greatest perceived threat to contact lens culture. In addition to presenting several components to help practices improve their digital commerce competitiveness, the report includes evidence-based commentary from Alysse Henkel, senior director of Market Research and Analytics for The Vision Council.

She says the organization’s consumer research indicates potential disruption may not be as potent as anticipated: convenience is the primary reason for online contact lens purchases (52%), which is well ahead of price (39%). With online buyers reporting similar spending to in-person buyers, there’s considerable room for confident practices to market their convenience advantages to patients.

Additional guest columns were contributed by several 2023 Contact Lens Institute Visionaries, including Shelby Brogdon, OD, McFarland Eye Care, Little Rock, Ark.; Andrew Bruce, LDO, ABOM, NCLE-AC, ASB Opticianry Education Services, Vancouver, Wash.; Ariel Cerenzie, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Charlotte Contact Lens Institute^*, Charlotte, N.C.; Sabrina Gaan, OD, Eyes on Plainville, Plainville, Mass.; Lisa Hornick, OD, FAAO, Stanford Ranch Optometry, Rocklin, Calif.; Jennifer Lyerly, OD, TrueVision Eye Care, Raleigh, N.C.; Diana Mejia, Bellaire Family Eye Care, Houston, Texas; and Mark Schaeffer, OD, MyEyeDr, Birmingham, Ala.

Data was garnered through a custom-designed survey to The Vision Council’s U.S. Eye Care Provider Panel in August 2023. 173 qualified responses reflected a mix of optometrists (51%), opticians (35%), and ophthalmologists (5%), with practice managers and owners also included. The survey had a sampling error margin of +/- 6.5% and a 95% confidence rate.

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