CooperVision, World Council of Optometry renew myopia management partnership

CooperVision and the World Council of Optometry (WCO) announced Tuesday that they have committed to a second year of their myopia management partnership.

The partnership extension comes after a year of achievements.

In 2021, the WCO’s board of directors unanimously approved a standard of care resolution for advising optometrists (ODs) to incorporate myopia management in their practices. The document defined an evidence-based standard of care that centered around three pillars: mitigation, measurement, and management.

Additionally, the resolution advises ODs to shift from just correcting vision to managing myopia through early education and discussion with parents followed by treatment, as needed.

In support of the resolution, CooperVision and WCO together launched an online learning source to provide multilingual assets and approaches that enable eye care professionals (ECPs) to apply myopia management standard of care, regardless of location.

To further build on the resolution, a virtual education event called “Myopia Management: Putting It into Practice,” was held in February 2022, with over 1,200 ECPs from 6 continents sharing their views—including overcoming barriers and success stories—on myopia management. The event’s sessions can be accessed and viewed here.

“The proactive partnership between the WCO and CooperVision has been instrumental in supporting optometrists to adopt myopia management as a standard of care,” said Peter Hendicott, MAppSc PhD, WCO president, in a statement. “It is important that, in changing our approach to managing myopia, we do so from an evidence-based perspective. Our joint work over the past year has provided optometrists with both education and resources to support and encourage them in the journey toward improved outcomes for patients.