(PRESS RELEASE) PLEASANTON, CA — With the rising levels of myopia predicted to effect nearly 5 billion people by 20501, it’s becoming more important for organizations to band together to fight this public health epidemic. CooperVision has supported the Our Children’s Vision campaign for the last two years by donating a percentage of its CooperVision MiSight 1 day2 contact lens sales to the organization, and has extended the program to recommit to the cause. Through its continued support, CooperVision expects to contribute up to US$500,000 from its global MiSight sales to Our Children’s Vision by the end of 2020.
“We firmly believe having strong partnerships in place can get us further than any individual effort,” said Yvette Waddell, CEO of the Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation, the founder and manager of the Our Children’s Vision campaign. “The assistance we’re receiving from CooperVision will help us reach more children and provide greater access to eye health services in underserved communities, as well as help us advocate on behalf of a vulnerable demographic to ensure child eye health is integrated into country and education policies.”
Our Children’s Vision is a large global network of partners dedicated to child eye health. Its goal is to bring together individuals, governments, development agencies and the public and private sectors to reach 50 million children worldwide by 2020.
“Vision impairment is a disability overlooked on lists of public health priorities, but clear vision is necessary for children to thrive at school, play safely and connect with family and friends,” said Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón, president of CooperVision’s Specialty EyeCare Division. “Myopia progression and its increasing prevalence is an epidemic that will threaten economic productivity and have social implications. That is why we are working diligently on the best ways to help manage the progression of the condition in children to help them see clearly, minimize the risk of potential ocular disease related to high levels of myopia and live brightly.”
CooperVision’s innovative MiSight 1 day product is the world’s first 1-day soft contact lens proven to substantially slow the progression of myopia in children2. A landmark global double-masked, prospective, randomized multicenter clinical trial has shown the significant impact of a contact lens management approach to slowing the progression of myopia in children. After year three, myopia progression slowed in children wearing the MiSight 1 day contact lens: 59 percent as measured by mean cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE) and 52 percent as measured by mean axial elongation of the eye when compared to the children in the control group wearing a single vision 1-day contact lens3.
During the course of its relationship, CooperVision’s support has helped Our Children’s Vision reach millions of children to assist with their eye health and distribute millions of glasses to those in need.