A scene from “Out of Focus,” a movie trailer produced by Essilor to educate parents about threat of childhood myopia.
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DALLAS—Essilor of America is launching a campaign to address the sharp rise in childhood myopia in the U.S. Targeted at consumers and the eyecare industry, the integrated campaign will educate and drive awareness around the rise of myopia, Essilor said in a statement. It includes a movie trailer hitting theaters nationwide that urges parents to take a proactive role in their child's eye health and sight by visiting an eyecare professional for a comprehensive eye exam to identify myopia before it impacts their everyday life.

"Essilor understands firsthand the alarming growth of myopia around the world, especially in East Asian countries where the rates have increased dramatically with more than 85 percent of the population between the ages of 15 to 25 being myopic. We're using our global insights to launch a campaign that proactively addresses the increasing growth of myopia in the U.S.," said Millicent Knight, OD, senior vice president of customer development, Essilor of America. “Many parents are unaware of the lifelong issues associated with myopia, which is why we are taking immediate action in the U.S. to educate consumers around myopia and ask parents to schedule an eye exam for their children."

Essilor released the movie trailer, "Out of Focus," in select theatres nationwide on Sept. 14. The trailer, which will run through Nov. 1, offers a perspective of the children who struggle in life because they live life out of focus and ends with a call to action for parents who see these signs in their own kids to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with their local eyecare professional.

In addition to consumer campaign efforts, Essilor is reaching eyecare professionals through social media and trade media efforts, and partnering with ophthalmic thought leaders to create a recommended path to becoming a myopia expert.

Essilor has more than 30 years of research and development experience in myopia. New research of more than 1,000 parents of children ages 7 to 17 who have myopia and over 600 children with myopia conducted by MetrixLab on behalf of Essilor found myopia does impact the lives of children:
• Nearly fifty percent (49 percent) of children with myopia experience difficulty in the classroom.
• Forty-one percent of parents with myopic children claim their children struggle with everyday activities.
• Thirty-five percent of myopic children report not enjoying school.
• Thirty-eight percent of parents of myopic children report their children have difficulty playing sports.
• Only forty-one percent of parents noticed their children were suffering from myopia.