CooperVision Canada Marks Fifth Year of Raising Awareness About Childhood Myopia and Treatment Options

For the fifth year in a row, CooperVision Canada is investing in educating parents and raising awareness about myopia (aka nearsightedness) in children, emphasizing that it is more than just a blurry vision issue, it is a progressive condition that requires proactive management to help protect long-term eye health and preserve future opportunities for children.

MiSight® 1 day contact lenses from CooperVision can help age-appropriate children with myopia reach their full potential. MiSight® 1 day is the first and only FDA approved* soft contact lens proven to help slow the progression of myopia in children aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment.^1†

Understanding the Growing Myopia Crisis in Children

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common condition where distant objects appear blurry while close-up vision remains clear. It often develops during childhood, typically beginning in the early school years.^2-3 A 2018 study from the University of Waterloo found that 6% of children aged 6-8 had myopia, and this rate jumped to almost 30% for children aged 11-1^3,4 highlighting the urgency for early intervention. Research suggests that increased screen time is contributing to the rise in myopia,⁵ and studies have shown that spending more time outdoors may prevent or delay the onset of this eye condition.⁶

A Proactive Approach to Myopia Management

MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are designed to be part of a proactive myopia management treatment plan,^1† providing freedom from glasses and slowing the worsening of myopia^1† during a child’s most critical years of growth.

“When children develop myopia at a younger age, their condition tends to worsen more rapidly into their late teens,⁷ which increases their risk of sight-threatening eye health conditions later in life,⁸” said Teresa Yu, Senior Manager of Marketing, CooperVision Canada. “We remain committed to helping parents understand that myopia is not just a blurry distance vision problem to correct with regular glasses or contact lenses, but a disease that needs to be treated and managed as early as possible. For five years, our direct-to-consumer campaign has focused on educating Canadian families about these critical issues.”

August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and as part of CooperVision Canada’s continual investment and commitment to children’s eye health, this back-to-school season they are urging parents to proactively schedule regular eye exams for their children and talk to their eye care professionals about myopia management treatment options. MiSight® 1 day have demonstrated an excellent safety profile,⁹ and is a convenient, single-use contact lens that doesn’t require cleaning, solutions, or storage so children can start each day with a comfortable, fresh pair of lenses.

MiSight® 1 day is also uniquely backed by a multi-year, peer-reviewed clinical study that demonstrated sustained slowing of myopia progression in children who wore the lenses daily, compared to those wearing single-vision lenses.1,^9-12 The results showed not only significant slowing of eye length growth^1† but also excellent vision correction1,10± and high satisfaction among young wearers and their parents.^13≠

Over a 3-year period, MiSight® 1 day contact lenses slowed myopia progression by 59% on average.^1† Parent-approved MiSight® 1 day contact lenses saw 90% of parents whose children wore the lenses report that their children were happy^13≠ wearing MiSight® 1 day lenses and strongly preferred them over their glasses.¹⁴

MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are available through licensed Canadian eye care professionals.

To learn more about myopia and MiSight® 1 day, visit fightmyopia.ca.

 

ATTENTION: Reference the Patient Information Booklet for a complete listing of Indications and Important Safety Information.  This product may not be right for you, talk to your Eye Care Professional.

CANADIAN INDICATION: MiSight (omafilcon A) Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia Control are indicated for the correction of ametropia (myopia and hyperopia) in aphakic and non-aphakic persons with non-diseased eyes in powers from -20.00D to +2.00 diopters. The lenses may be worn by persons who exhibit astigmatism of -2.00 diopters or less that does not interfere with visual acuity. MiSight (omafilcon A) Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia Control may reduce the rate of myopia progression in children (6-18) and correct ametropia. Reduction of myopia progression was observed in children with wearing time of 12 hours (8-16 hours) per day, 6.4 days (5-7) per week in a clinical study.  Permanent myopia control after lens treatment is discontinued is not supported by clinical studies. MiSight (omafilcon A) Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia Control are indicated for single use daily disposable wear. When prescribed for daily disposable wear, the lens is to be discarded after each removal. WARNINGS: Problems with contact lenses could result in serious injury to the eye.  Do not expose contact lenses to water while wearing them. Under certain circumstances MiSight® lenses optical design can cause reduced image contrast/ghosting/halo/glare in some patients that may cause difficulties with certain visually-demanding tasks. PRECAUTIONS: Daily wear single use only. Patient should always dispose when lenses are removed. No overnight wear. Patients should exercise extra care if performing potentially hazardous activities. ADVERSE EVENTS:  Including but not limited to infection/inflammation/ulceration/abrasion of the cornea, other parts of the eye or eyelids.  Some of these adverse reactions can cause permanent or temporary loss of vision.  If you notice any of the stated in your child, immediately have your child remove the lenses and contact your eye care professional.

_{†Compared to single-vision lenses over a three-year period.}

_{±VA (LogMAR) > 6/6 (20/20) at all visits from dispensing to 6-year visit.} 

_{≠Overall experience as defined as children’s comfort, vision, lens handling, and freedom from spectacles. Children aged 8-15 years.}

_References: 

1. _{Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.}
2. _{Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.]}
3. _{Hou W, Norton TT, Hyman L, Gwiazda J; COMET Group. Axial Elongation in Myopic Children and its Association With Myopia Progression in the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial. Eye Contact Lens. 2018 Jul;44(4):248-259.}
4. _{Yang M, Luensmann D, Fonn D, Woods J, Jones D, Gordon K, Jones L. Myopia prevalence in Canadian school children: a pilot study. Eye (Lond). 2018 Jun;32(6):1042-1047.} 
5. _{Lanca C, Saw SM. The association between digital screen time and myopia: A systematic review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2020 Mar;40(2):216-229.}
6. _{Jonas JB, et al., IMI Prevention of Myopia and Its Progression. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021 Apr 28;62(5):6.}
7. _{K. Zadnik, G.L. Mitchell, L.A. Jones, D.O. Mutti; Factors Associated with Rapid Myopia Progression in School-aged Children . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2004;45(13):2306.}
8. _{Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical and environmental factors in myopia aetiology. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2013;31(6):622-60.}
9. _{Woods J, et al. Ocular health of children wearing daily disposable contact lenses over a 6-year period. CLAE 2021 Aug;44(4):101391.}
10. _{Chamberlain P, et al. Long-term Effect of Dual-focus Contact Lenses on Myopia Progression in Children: A 6-year Multicenter Clinical Trial. Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Mar 1;99(3):204-212.}
11. _{Chamberlain, Arumugam, et al. Myopia progression cessation of Dual-Focus contact lens wear: MiSight 1 day 7 year findings. Optom Vis Sci. 2021;98:E-abstract 210049.}
12. _{Sulley A, et al. Experience and subjective responses for children switched from single vision to dual focus myopia control daily disposable contact lenses. BCLA paper presentation 2021.}
13. _{CVI data on file, 2018. 3- year study report.}
14. _{Sulley A et al. Wearer experience and subjective responses with dual focus compared to spherical, single vision soft contact lenses in children during a 3-year clinical trial. AAO 2019 Poster.}