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MYOPIA NEWS

WCO Passes Resolution Calling for a Standard of Care for Myopia Management

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) unanimously approved a resolution advising eyecare practitioners to incorporate a standard of care for myopia management within their practices. The resolution includes three main components: mitigation—educating and counseling parents and children, during early and regular eye exams, on lifestyle, dietary, and other factors to prevent or delay the onset of myopia; measurement—evaluating the status of a patient during regular comprehensive vision and eye health exams, such as measuring refractive error and axial length whenever possible; and management—addressing patients’ needs of today by correcting myopia, while also providing evidence-based interventions (e.g., contact lenses, spectacles, pharmaceuticals) that slow the progression of myopia, for improved quality of life and better eye health today and into the future. The standard of care resolution can be found at https://worldcouncilofoptometry.info/advocacy . ■

IMI and SOE to Release New Guidance on Myopia Management

The European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE), in collaboration with the International Myopia Institute (IMI), has released updated guidance on myopia management. Published in the European Journal of Ophthalmology, this new expert review provides updated guidance on control measures for reducing myopia onset and myopia progression, covering pathogenesis and the genetics of myopia; epidemiology; risk factors; and preventive and treatment options. The new European guidance review is available at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1120672121998960 . The 2019 IMI Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science published white papers and clinical summaries are available at https://myopiainstitute.org . ■

CooperVision Joins American Academy of Ophthalmology Initiative to Address Worldwide Myopia Epidemic

A recently announced initiative from the American Academy of Ophthalmology to protect children from the vision-threatening consequences of high myopia (nearsightedness) has attracted financial support from CooperVision. The company will make a five-year commitment to help underwrite the program. ■

Johnson & Johnson Vision Announces Collaboration with Menicon

Johnson & Johnson Vision announced a global strategic collaboration with Menicon. As part of the collaboration, Menicon will develop and manufacture contact lenses to help manage the progression of myopia in children. Johnson & Johnson Vision will focus on expanding availability of these lenses around the world. ■

INDUSTRY BRIEFS

• Johnson & Johnson Vision announced approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the first and only vision correction contact lens that relieves allergic eye itch: Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen. The daily disposable lens contains ketotifen, an H1 histamine receptor antagonist for the prevention of itch associated with eye allergies. Johnson & Johnson Vision is working with health authorities worldwide to bring Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen to contact lens wearers seeking relief from allergic eye itch.
• Visus Therapeutics Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to proceed with the clinical development program for Brimochol, the company’s lead investigational asset. Brimochol, a proprietary combination of carbachol and brimonidine tartrate, is designed to be a once-daily eye drop to correct for the loss of near vision associated with presbyopia. Carbachol produces a “pinhole effect,” which reduces the size of the pupil and allows the light rays focused on the retina to enter the eye, thereby sharpening images. The addition of brimonidine to carbachol is designed to provide several benefits, including longer duration of the pinhole effect and a lower incidence of the side effects typically induced by miotic agents.
• To provide an easy way for eyecare professionals and their patients to be more sustainable—and to expand the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on the environment—CooperVision announced a partnership with Plastic Bank that makes its Clariti 1 Day family the first net-plastic-neutral contact lenses. Plastic Bank is a social enterprise that builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities, reprocessing the materials for reintroduction into the global supply chain. Collectors receive a premium for the materials that they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. For every box of Clariti 1 Day distributed in the United States, CooperVision funds the collection, processing, and reuse of general plastic waste that is equal to the weight of the plastic contained in Clariti 1 Day lenses and packaging. For more information about CooperVision Clariti 1 Day and its net-plastic-neutral initiative, visit www.one-day-better.com .
• Eaglet Eye announced its new Virtual Interaction Program (VIP), a three-part virtual education series focused on profilometry-based specialty lens fitting. Together with Tom Arnold, OD; Jason Jedlicka, OD; Barry Leonard, OD; and Sheila Morrison, OD, MS, this VIP educational activity aims to help practitioners get more comfortable with the concept of scleral lenses, their challenges, and how profilometry can make the fitting process faster and more precise. These one-hour webinars will be held on the last Thursday of the month from April through June at 8:00 p.m. EDT and are complimentary to all eyecare professionals. The VIP consists of three complementary modules: “Basics of scleral fitting” was held on April 29, “Next Level on how to improve scleral fitting” will be held on May 27, and “Advanced scleral fitting & solving fitting challenges” will be held on June 24. To learn more and to register, visit www.scleralfitting.com/vip .
• To further support the advancement of the education of students at the Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) at Ferris State University, CooperVision has donated funds to The Ferris Foundation to provide scholarships and training for those who have an interest in myopia management. The five-year financial commitment is an expansion of CooperVision’s long-standing collaboration with MCO. In addition, the company has committed funding for one of the classrooms in the Michigan College of Optometry building.
• Bausch + Lomb (B+L) announced the addition of two new consultants to its Specialty Vision Products team, both appointed to enhance practitioner experience and to educate eyecare practitioners (ECPs) across the world on specialty fits. Industry veteran Carri Rivera joined the company as the newest consultant on the Specialty Vision Products team. She brings more than two decades of experience to her role and is highly trained in fitting contact lenses, especially for keratoconus and orthokeratology as well as specific contact lens sets for corneal diseases and post-corneal surgeries. Additionally, the team welcomed Robert Martin as the new senior manager of Consultation and Customer Service on the Specialty Vision Products team. He brings more than 35 years of experience spanning from lens manufacturing to contact lens fitting and will help empower customers and colleagues to find success in the specialty lens field.
• Surface Ophthalmics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for ocular diseases, announced the appointment of Preeya K. Gupta, MD, as chief medical advisor (CMA). As CMA, Dr. Gupta will consult with Surface Ophthalmics leaders and will lend her expertise, particularly in dry eye disease, to help guide Surface’s three clinical programs—chronic dry eye disease, acute dry eye, and pain and inflammation following ocular surgery—as they move forward.
• Oyster Point Pharma, Inc. announced the appointment of an additional member to its board of directors. Effective immediately, George Eliades, PhD, will join Oyster Point’s board of directors and will serve as a member of the Compensation Committee. Dr. Eliades has served as senior vice president, Corporate Development and as Chief Transformation Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals since December 2020. From November 2007 to December 2020, Dr. Eliades was a partner at Bain & Company, where he focused primarily on advising biopharmaceutical clients. Dr. Eliades has advised multiple clients on their transformation agendas, including strategy, cost, mergers and acquisitions, and digital-driven transformation.
• Luneau Technology announced that Sal Hernandez is joining its North American team as a clinical technology specialist (CTS) focusing on its Visionix line of products. In this newly created role, he will work cross-functionally with a team of specialists to help eyecare practices navigate Visionix and emerging technologies and connect with their patients in a whole new way.
• NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the availability of its new Warm Eye Compress on Amazon.com and on Avenova.com. According to the company, this new, reusable heated eye compress is designed to relieve the symptoms associated with blepharitis, dry eye disease, meibomian gland disease, styes, and chalazia. It is a companion product to Avenova, NovaBay’s antimicrobial lid and lash spray.
• The FDA recently accepted a new drug application (NDA) for 1% tropicamide and 2.6% phenylephrine (MydCombi, Eyenovia). MydCombi is delivered by the company’s proprietary Optejet dispenser, designed for a touchless micro-mist application. The NDA follows two Phase 3 studies, during which the primary endpoints of safety and effectiveness for pharmacologic mydriasis were met. In related news, Eyenovia and Eversana, a company that provides commercialization services to the global life sciences industry, have joined forces to commercialize MydCombi in the United States, if the drug is approved.
• IDOC announced the launch of eConnect, a monthly series of educational webinars designed to build on the learning available at The Connection, IDOC’s annual member conference. The series will focus on COPE-approved CE throughout 2021. Each live, IDOC eConnect session will be available to all independent optometrists free through pre-registration. To pre-register for the IDOC eConnect Series, visit www.idoc.net/events .
• ZEISS has completed construction on a new, high-tech site in Dublin, CA, a city in the San Francisco-Oakland metro area. The ZEISS Innovation Center consolidates multiple business functions under one roof, including R&D, production, sales, and customer service. It also features customer experience and demo centers showcasing recent ZEISS products. Coinciding with the company’s 175th anniversary, the center incorporates “green” features, such as solar power, use-based light and air controls, a heat recovery system, and rainwater collection and retention. The Innovation Center includes about 700 workspaces.