(PRESS RELEASE) SAN RAMON, CA — The American Academy of Optometry has awarded the 2021 Garland W. Clay Award to a team of researchers studying the effectiveness of CooperVision MiSight 1 day contact lenses in slowing the progression of myopia in children (aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment). The prestigious award is given annually to the author(s) of the most important paper published in Optometry and Vision Science in the preceding five years. The authors of the winning paper, “A 3-Year Randomized Clinical Trial of MiSight Lenses for Myopia Control,” include:
- Paul Chamberlain, BSc (Hons.)
- Sofia C. Peixoto-De-Matos, MSc
- Nicola S. Logan, PhD
- Cheryl Ngo, MBBS, MMed
- Deborah Jones, BSc, FAAO
- and Graeme Young, PhD, FAAO.
The Optometry and Vision Science editorial board bestows the annual Garland W. Clay Award based upon criteria including the number of citations in the world scientific literature, impact of vision science, value to the practice of optometry, and relevance to the mission of the American Academy of Optometry. After only two years since publication, the paper about MiSight 1 day contact lenses has been cited over 70 times according to Clarivate’s Web of Science and is the most cited paper in Optometry and Vision Science since 2016.
Optometry and Vision Science Editor in Chief Michael Twa, OD, PhD, FAAO stressed that his publication places a priority on quality evidence-based publications noting that: “Clinical trial results provide strong evidence that it is possible to slow ocular growth that causes worsening myopia. Research into myopia control is rapidly evolving and effective treatments could do more than improve vision, they may also help lower lifelong risks for glaucoma, retinal detachments, and other degenerative eye conditions.”
CooperVision MiSight 1 day myopia control contact lenses are proven to slow the progression of myopia in children aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment.†1 Data gleaned from these three years of research laid the groundwork for FDA approval of CooperVision MiSight lenses in 2019. The study, a randomized double-masked clinical trial, demonstrated the effectiveness of MiSight lenses in reducing the rate of myopia progression in children (aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment) by 59% on average over a three-year period.
CooperVision Director of Research Programs Paul Chamberlain, BSc (Hons.) said, “Our team is grateful to the Optometry and Vision Science Editorial Board and the American Academy of Optometry for recognizing our work. It is very satisfying to know that our research in myopia control is helping age-appropriate children and their parents around the world. And it is truly an honor to be associated with the other pioneering papers that have previously received this distinction.”
Chamberlain and team accepted the Garland W. Clay Award at the American Academy of Optometry’s Meeting in Boston on Thursday, Nov. 4. “A 3-Year Randomized Clinical Trial of MiSight Lenses for Myopia Control” (Chamberlain P et al.) is available online via Open Access.