With myopia projected to impact 50% of the world’s population by 2050, CooperVision Canada has partnered with Canadian Health & Family to promote awareness of childhood myopia through an educational segment available to stream online at www.healthandfamily.ca/MyopiaEpidemic.
The segment—which originally aired on television
networks CTV and HGTV, and again last month on CTV Toronto and CTV
Montreal—features Debbie Jones, BSc, FCOptom, FAAO, clinical professor at the
University of Waterloo and clinical scientist at the Centre for Ocular Research
& Education (CORE). Dr. Jones has been studying the effectiveness of the
FDA-approved CooperVision MiSight®
1 day lens which has been shown to slow the progression of myopia
in children by 59%. She was also involved in a study that examined myopia
prevalence locally in Waterloo, Ontario and the surrounding area that revealed
that 35% of study participants were living with uncorrected myopia.
“At CooperVision, our goal is to elevate the standard
of care such that no case of paediatric myopiagoes untreated,” said Alexandra
Donkin, General Manager for CooperVision Canada. “Our partnership with Canadian
Health & Family on this educational segment is one part of our work to get
there. Parents, pediatricians, teachers and everyone in the life of a child
need to be aware of the myopia epidemic and its impact. Only through awareness
of the issue can a resolution towards slowing the progression be achieved.”
The segment also features the story of a young MiSight® 1 day clinical
study participant, who shared how the freedom offered by contact lenses is a
benefit for her active lifestyle, and a word from Joshua C. Smith, OD, past
president of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, who emphasized the impact
that time spent outdoors can have on reducing a child’s risk for developing
myopia.
In addition to the television broadcast and online streaming,
CooperVision has planned a digital advertising campaign featuring the segment,
which will run in targeted markets through October.
Click HERE for the full press release.
