(PRESS RELEASE)ST. LOUIS — The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) has endorsed the World Council of Optometry (WCO) myopia management as standard of care resolution. In a position statement, the CAO said that it supports the WCO resolution and endorses evidence-based myopia management as a standard of care for all at-risk patients. The CAO recognizes that myopia is a global public health issue and cannot be considered merely an inconvenience of uncorrected vision.
CAO President Dr. Harry Bohnsack said, “Since the World Health Organization’s release of the World Report on Vision in 2019, CAO’s Council has been concerned about the increasing prevalence of myopia globally. The World Council of Optometry’s standard of care for myopia management provided CAO with a foundation upon which to build our position to ensure that all those who are at risk of myopia receive the best preventive and curative eye health and vision care from Canadian optometrists. We are appreciative of Dr. Debbie Jones, clinical professor at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science, for her visionary leadership in conceptualizing and drafting this position statement.”
The World Council of Optometry and myopia management category leader CooperVision introduced the resolution in April 2021 defining evidence-based standard of care as comprising of three main components:
- Mitigation — Optometrists educating and counseling parents and children, during early and regular eye exams, on lifestyle, dietary, and other factors to prevent or delay the onset of myopia.
- Measurement — Optometrists evaluating the status of a patient during regular comprehensive vision and eye health exams, such as measuring refractive error and axial length whenever possible.
- Management — Optometrists addressing patients’ needs of today by correcting myopia, while also providing evidence-based interventions (e.g., contact lenses, spectacles, pharmaceuticals) that slow the progression of myopia, for improved quality of life and better eye health today and into the future.
WCO President-elect Dr. Sandra Block said, “The Canadian Association of Optometrists statement of support reinforces the importance of addressing the shift in how we, as optometrists, address and treat the myopia epidemic. The World Council of Optometry is grateful for CAO’s leadership in bringing this message to Canada and hope similar organizations around the world follow. We are so excited to see that our standard of care resolution is reaching so many and look forward to continuing to address the vision and eye health needs of the world together.”
The World Council of Optometry and CooperVision host “Putting It into Practice,” a global virtual event, February 12 featuring professionals in optometry sharing their perspectives on myopia management. Register for the free event at worldcouncilofoptometry.info/event/.