(PRESS RELEASE) ST. LOUIS — To help advance myopia management as a standard of care, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) is partnering with CooperVision, a global leader in myopia management, to introduce an interactive and educational resource for eye care practitioners worldwide. The WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator (myopianavigator.info) takes you on a journey through the three M’s of myopia management: mitigation, measurement, and management.
Each of the three sections of the Navigator is linked to various elements of content and filled with advice and practical actions to explore in the form of “Myopia Moments,” webinars and much more. The Navigator also serves as a ready resource in clinical settings to provide guidance for patients and families in discussions about myopia management.
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WCO president Dr. Sandra Block said, “We are pleased to partner with CooperVision on this important educational initiative which complements our ongoing efforts to advance myopia management as the global standard of care. It is crucial to educate both new and more experienced practitioners, and to expand their knowledge on integrating myopia management in their practices. We have made good progress, but there is still work to be done to prompt action worldwide.”
The WCO myopia management standard of care resolution was developed and introduced in April 2021. It includes the three main standard of care pillars of mitigation, measurement, and management. With the global support of CooperVision, WCO has since worked to advance awareness and adoption of this landmark initiative.
CooperVision director, Global Professional Affairs, Myopia Elizabeth Lumb said, “The Navigator offers a user-friendly online platform, providing a simple and accessible resource for clinicians, parents, and allied professionals to navigate their own educational path through myopia management. In addition, we’re grateful to the WCO for offering an opportunity to partner with global ambassadors, enabling us to extend our reach and raise awareness on a global scale. This collaboration provides us with an extra avenue to amplify and promote this valuable resource.”
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WCO recently appointed a team of ambassadors to spread the word about the Navigator based on their myopia management educational roles, outreach, and practice-building initiatives. One ambassador serves as a global representative, and the remaining three regional leads from a diverse set of geographies are leading optometrists with extensive experience in myopia management in both clinical practice and educational settings. All four WCO ambassadors are actively involved in day-to-day myopia management. They are:
Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FBCLA, Global Representative: Nicola Logan is a professor of optometry and physiological optics at the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Jagrut Lallu, MSc Specialty Lenses, BOptom, FIAOMC, Asia–Pacific Representative: Jagrut Lallu is a partner of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand. He is also the director of Innovatus Technology, which develops software to make contact lens design accessible to contact lens practitioners.
Síofra Harrington, PhD, FAOI, European Representative: Síofra Harrington is a lecturer, researcher, and clinical supervisor with the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences at Technological University in Dublin, Ireland. She is also a fellow of the Association of Optometrists Ireland.
Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, ABO Diplomate, Americas Representative: Ashley Wallace Tucker is a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care and The Contact Lens Institute of Houston, a private practice in Houston, Texas. Tucker is also a visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she is the course master for the Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory.
For global ambassador full biographies, click here.
To access the WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator, visit myopianavigator.info. Explore the World Council of Optometry myopia management online resource featuring the standard of care pledge signup page, resolution, and practical tools and information for optometrists at https://myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/. For questions about myopia management, email the WCO ambassadors at MMNambassador@worldoptometry.org.
