MYOPIA MANAGEMENT is an extremely rewarding field, and there are more treatment options available than ever before to correct vision and slow myopia progression. However, some eyecare providers have difficulty getting their myopia programs off the ground. Let’s highlight some of the methods that successful practices use to excel in myopia management.
Establish Demand
Although public awareness of myopia management is slowly growing, most parents are still unaware that myopia means more than just blurred vision. Relatively few know that excessive axial elongation increases the lifetime risk for ocular comorbidities (Haarman et al, 2020), or that evidence-based treatments are available to both correct vision and slow myopia progression.
Demand for myopia management must begin with education in the exam room. Keep the message concise, make a recommendation, and then be prepared to move forward. Although it may be tempting to devote resources to complex marketing strategies, the single best source of patients for myopia management are those children already in your exam chair.
Make It the Default
If myopia management is only discussed once a child reaches high myopia, the growth of your program may remain limited. By the time moderate to high myopia develops, the rate of progression has often slowed (Polling et al, 2022), and families may have already settled into a state of acceptance regarding worsening vision. Thriving practices prioritize education and view every pediatric exam as an opportunity to provide at least a brief introduction to myopia management. Parents should understand that if myopia develops, intervention will be recommended.
This proactive approach shifts the paradigm from trying to convince parents to pursue myopia management to preparing them to take action when the time comes. The most successful practices understand the importance of managing myopia early and assume that families will want to pursue interventions when the need arises.
Simplify the Process
Information overload is one of the fastest ways to stall a decision. When presented with too many technical details, particularly if the concepts are unfamiliar, parents are often unable to decide and instead choose to go home and consider the options. A concise myopia conversation might go like this: “Your child’s prescription has changed again this year, which tells us her eyes are growing longer as her vision is getting blurrier. When eyes grow longer than normal, the risk of developing certain eye problems in the future increases. The good news is that we have treatments that will provide clear vision and slow the eye growth, which is what I’ll be prescribing today.”
Get to know the patient and family during the examination, then make a clear recommendation at the conclusion of your exam based on factors such as age, lifestyle, and likelihood of adherence. For most families, concise education followed by a clear recommendation is far more effective than overwhelming them with data and resources.
When a family opts to proceed, be prepared to provide clear instructions on what comes next: scheduling the next visit, explaining the fee structure, and outlining expectations. Prioritize setting your fees in a way that encourages maximum participation in your myopia management program rather than maximum revenue per patient.
Myopia management is not a difficult specialty to implement—barriers are more often process-related than clinical. When practitioners establish demand, make treatment the default, and simplify the process, success in myopia management follows naturally.
References
1. Haarman AEG, Enthoven CA, Tideman JWL, Tedja MS, Verhoeven VJM, Klaver CCW. The complications of myopia: a review and meta-analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(4):49. doi: 10.1167/iovs.61.4.49
2. Polling JR, Klaver C, Tideman JW. Myopia progression from wearing first glasses to adult age: the DREAM Study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2022;106(6):820-824. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-316234