It’s hard to think of any silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic, let alone anything as seemingly unrelated as myopia management. About the only thing COVID might have in common with myopia is that they are both an “emic” (i.e., a pandemic and an epidemic). But, myopia management isn’t the epidemic; myopia is.

The serendipitous timing of a fish taco order takes us to the silver lining. I was in a socially distanced line, mask on, waiting to order a fish taco. This particular restaurant usually plays a Spanish-speaking radio station; but on this particular July day, the radio was on in English. The news story was about a San Diego school board that was contemplating holding classes outside (because they can—it’s San Diego) under the assumption that students would be less susceptible to the virus.

As a myopia management practitioner, when I hear “kids being outside”—for school or anything else—I don’t think of COVID mitigation. Rather, I reflexively think of myopia prevention for hyperopic kids. With that light bulb, we worked with our public relations agency to push out articles to the popular press advocating that kids should have school outside—but, in this case, not only because of COVID. The response to the approach was overwhelming, and after talking to parents, we now know why.

A Conversation Starter

Parents have internalized that kids spending inordinate hours on their computers and devices can’t be good. If you ask them “Why isn’t it good?” you typically get responses such as, “I’m not sure, but it can’t be.” The discussion often quickly morphs to excess screen time (at home) decreasing the chances for socialization and lack of exercise, which parents know is important for kids. But myopia never comes up—from parents.

But now, going outside for COVID-19 prevention has been brought up to parents. Therefore, when parents bring up the topic of excess screen time, myopia management practitioners have a ready-made segue into a discussion of good sound myopia care.

“Yes, mom. Sitting in front of a screen all day isn’t a good thing. And yes, we agree, it’s healthier for kids to be outside. But, not just because of COVID. Did you know that kids are less likely to become myopic when they spend more time outside? Your son is already myopic, and we’re not sure whether outdoor time is helpful. We think that it is. But even if it’s neutral regarding his eye health, there are things that we can do to slow down the progression of his nearsightedness. In his case, I recommend....”

Another Positive

Similarly, telehealth, which was virtually nonexistent for myopia management pre-COVID, has found a prominent spot in our centers. We now offer telehealth consultations that provide parents with comprehensive education before they visit our centers. This allows for a shorter visit (and it’s safer regarding COVID risk) and a more educated parent. That, in turn, leads to more kids getting timely treatment. Parents appreciate telehealth consultations, especially now that many parents have to juggle kids being home with their own jobs.

More Efficiencies

Another benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic for myopia management practices is that it forced those practices to work more efficiently. Even in the absence of telehealth, savvy eyecare practices have purposefully streamlined processes to get kids and parents in and out of the office faster, but without any compromise in clinical care.

More practices insist on having history data sent in before a visit, while some will conduct histories via an online video chat in a separate room in their own practices, and still others will break up the pre-test sequence among different technicians, thereby streamlining the entire practice workflow.

COVID discussions about getting kids back into conventional classrooms, playing outside, and decreasing screen time are very front-of-mind for parents, and those topics provide an easy bridge to myopia management discussions. CLS