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PARK RIDGE, Ill.—Myopia management is just one part of the special services that Dr. Daniel Press emphasizes at the Park Ridge Vision practice here, but it is a growing area and a significant component of the overall practice. Press noted that he sees the importance of taking an individualized approach to treating each myopic patient.

“For me, the interest in myopia stems from working with pediatric patients,” he said. “I would say my primary specialty is vision therapy, vision rehabilitation and in working with a large pediatric patient base. And you can’t ignore what you see in terms of the increasing prevalence and the progression of myopia.”

Press, who has been practicing 13 years, said one of the things he has learned about working with myopic patients is that it’s important to develop communication skills that connect with children at their level and “with language that they understand.”

He added, “I will tell you that when I first graduated optometry school I didn’t have the skills that I do have now. For me, it’s very important to address the child first primarily. I know the parent is ultimately going to make the decision, but if the child is not on board, then you are not going to get anywhere.” In walking the patient and the parents through the evaluation, it’s important to talk openly and honestly, and to use language the child can understand, he added.





“Our chief concern is to make sure that the child has healthy eyes and healthy vision for the rest of their life, and that school can be as easy as it can be and that they can perform as best as they can in sports.”

Press said his practice model has been influenced by several ECP mentors who he worked with or has been close to during his career. They are his father, Leonard Press, who has a practice in Fair Lawn, N.J., and Dr. Nick Despotidis, a leader in the field of myopia management who also practices in New Jersey. Press also was fortunate to know Dr. Stuart Grant back in 2006 when he was able to shadow Dr. Grant in Santa Monica, Calif. (Press said Grant is considered “the father of overnight ortho-k treatments.)

When he moved to Chicago in 2012, he worked with Dr. Barry Eiden, whom he credits for helping him develop a comprehensive approach to myopia management.