Recently released global survey results from CooperVision underscore a gap between the concern of eye care professionals and the understanding of parents regarding the growing myopia epidemic and the impact myopia can have on future eye health. Four in five eye care professionals (82%) worry that their young patients will have significant eye health issues associated with myopia as they grow older and yet over half (54%) say parents don’t understand these future eye health risks. These and other findings are featured in an infographic available here.
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ECPs and 1,009 parents with children ages 6 to 15 across Canada, Spain, the
United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand were included in
the Global Myopia Attitudes and Awareness Study.
Globally,
parents are more familiar with the term nearsighted (i.e. short-sighted) than
myopia, though the difference varies from country to country. Whereas at least
8 in 10 parents expressed familiarity with the term nearsighted across all
surveyed countries (82-98%), only Spain (91%), Hong Kong (86%), and Australia
and New Zealand (90%) could say the same for myopia.
Nearly
three-quarters of ECPs agree a comprehensive myopia management program
featuring MiSight® 1 day seems easy (72%) for children
and their parents to follow and is an even more convenient (75%) way to manage
myopia than other products. Ultimately, what many ECPs
(92%) find important about offering myopia management is the ability to make a
difference in their young patients’ future eye health.
“In
these results, we see both opportunity and encouragement for myopia management
globally,” said Jennifer Lambert, CooperVision senior director of global myopia
management. “A top priority for us and many of our partners is to close the gap
of myopia awareness among parents worldwide.”
Selected data and insights from the survey were
recently presented in a scientific poster session during the 2020 BCLA UK
Virtual Conference and Exhibition.
Click HERE for the full press release.
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