ST. LOUIS—Advancing ongoing efforts to establish a global myopia management standard of care, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) is partnering with one of the world’s myopia category leaders, CooperVision, to host a virtual event on February 12, 2022 focused on myopia management. WCO has gathered an impressive roster of industry leaders so far to share their perspectives on myopia management. “We are delighted to bring together this dynamic group of industry leaders to discuss the importance of myopia management as a global standard of care,” said Paul Folkesson, president, World Council of Optometry.

“Their keen insight will bring clarity and perspective to this multifaceted issue facing millions of adults and children around the world.” The roster of speakers will include:

  • Carmen Abesamis-Dichoso, OD (Philippines), optometrist and recipient of the IACLE Educator Fellowship Program, University of Waterloo (Canada), School of Optometry. In addition to her private practice, she has lectured extensively both locally and internationally on myopia management.
     
  • Thomas Aller, OD (United States), optometrist, visiting scholar and practice owner of Dr. Thomas Aller Optometrist, Inc. Aller is an expert in myopia control and orthokeratology, and a regular contributor to the field of vision science and the development of innovative treatments.
     
  • Philip Cheng, B Optom FIAOMC (Australia), optometrist and clinical director of Eyecare Concepts, The Myopia Clinic Melbourne. Cheng’s specialties include orthokeratology, myopia control, children’s optometry, specialty contact lenses and dry eye management.
     
  • Kate Gifford, BAS Hons Optometry, PhD (Australia) earned her graduate degree in contact lens optics in myopia from Queensland University of Technology. A clinician-scientist and peer educator and a co-founder of Myopiaprofile.com, she holds a visiting research fellow position at QUT and is the committee chair and lead author on the International Myopia Institute’s Clinical Management Guidelines.
     
  • Nicola Logan, BSc Hons Optometry, MEd, PhD (United Kingdom), optometrist and professor, Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences. Logan researches the development, progression and management of myopia in children and runs a clinical service in myopia management.
     
  • Sara McCullough, BSc Hons Optometry, PhD, (United Kingdom), optometrist and research associate in Optometry and Vision Science at Ulster University (Northern Ireland). She is currently working on the Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction (NICER) study investigating the progression of refractive error in children and young adults.
Earlier this year, WCO and CooperVision announced their global partnership to raise awareness of myopia progression and encourage optometrists to embrace a standard of care to manage the condition. Shortly thereafter, the WCO board of directors unanimously approved a resolution advising optometrists to incorporate a standard of care for myopia management within their practices. The launch of the myopia management online resource is the next step to provide eyecare practitioners with the information, knowledge and guidance needed to establish a standard of care in their practice.
 
WCO and CooperVision launched an easy-to-use online resource in September that provides multilingual assets and approaches that will enable busy eye care professionals—regardless of geographic location—to apply a standard of care to manage the condition. The myopia online resource was developed to serve as a valuable point to provide information that has not been easily accessible and provide a forum to encourage the exchange of knowledge and experiences within the global optometric community.
 
For more information or to register for the virtual event, click here.