HOYA Vision Care, a leader in optical technology innovation, took part in the 4th World Congress of Optometry (WCO4) on 8–10 September 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. This year’s WCO4, hosted in partnership with O=MEGA23, was a prime opportunity for Eye Care Professionals from across the globe to participate in high-quality learning and professional development.
As a proud Diamond sponsor of the WCO and part of its commitment to share scientific knowledge and professional insights, HOYA Vision Care hosted a symposium “Lighting the way: new evidence and advances in myopia management”, where leading experts shared recent research findings in the childhood myopia management space. The symposium was chaired by Dr. Jagrut Lallu, Optometrist from Hamilton, New Zealand.
Previous studies conducted by Professor Carly Lam and her team demonstrated the benefits of MiYOSMART spectacle lens use in children living in Hong Kong. HOYA Vision Care conducted research to explore whether the results translated to children living in Europe. Professor Kathryn Saunders presented the outcomes from a recent 12-month observational study conducted in the UK, which showed that MiYOSMART spectacle lenses significantly reduced myopia progression and axial elongation in UK children, and concluded that the changes in spherical refractive error and axial length growth in European children were comparable with those in Asian children.
With continuing interest and emerging evidence about the protective effects of outdoor time and daylight on myopia progression in children, 3–7 Dr. May Zhang, Global Head of Professional Affairs at HOYA Vision Care, educated the audience on the researched benefits and risks associated with light exposure on myopic eyes and introduced the new MiYOSMART Chameleon and MiYOSMART Sunbird sun spectacle lenses, which provide protection from intense sunlight, while simultaneously slowing down myopia progression using D.I.M.S. Technology.8–14 Dr. Zhang also shared the early experience with MiYOSMART sun solutions, which showed at its early stage that almost 80% of children adapted to the new spectacle lenses within a few hours.
At the end of the symposium, Dr. Soojin Nam, an Optometrist from Hillsdale, Australia, spoke about MiYOSMART solutions in clinical practice and shared case studies from her vast experience in the field of myopia management, showing that every patient has unique visual needs that could be addressed with customized treatment.
New evidence was also presented in the plenary program and in the posters’ session. Dr. Jagrut Lallu presented the effectiveness of MiYOSMART and related combination treatment strategy in slowing down myopia progression among multi-ethnic patients in New Zealand. Dr. Joanna Przeździecka-Dołyk presented the outcomes of myopia-controlling procedures in young adults with early-onset progressive myopia in regard to the refractive or axial main course of the refraction error, which showed better results in slowing axial elongation using optical methods, rather than pharmacological interventions. To conclude, Dr. Oliver Woo presented real-world evidence on the use of MiYOSMART spectacle lenses in Australian children of Chinese descent, showing yet another instance of satisfactory treatment and myopia slowing effect.
Since its launch in 2018 through the end of 2022, over four million MiYOSMART spectacle lenses have been purchased by parents across the world. With the launch of the new MiYOSMART Chameleon and MiYOSMART Sunbird spectacle lenses, HOYA Vision Care continues to help fight and control the growing problem of myopia around the world.
