Abstract
Purpose
A survey in 2015 identified a high level of eye care practitioner concern about myopia
with a reported moderately high level of activity, but the vast majority still prescribed
single vision interventions to young myopes. This research aimed to update these findings
4 years later.
Methods
A self-administrated, internet-based questionnaire was distributed in eight languages,
through professional bodies to eye care practitioners globally. The questions examined:
awareness of increasing myopia prevalence, perceived efficacy of available strategies
and adoption levels of such strategies, and reasons for not adopting specific strategies.
Results
Of the 1336 respondents, concern was highest (9.0 ± 1.6; p < 0.001) in Asia and lowest
(7.6 ± 2.2; p < 0.001) in Australasia. Practitioners from Asia also considered their
clinical practice of myopia control to be the most active (7.7 ± 2.3; p < 0.001),
the North American practitioners being the least active (6.3 ± 2.9; p < 0.001). Orthokeratology
was perceived to be the most effective method of myopia control, followed by pharmaceutical
approaches and approved myopia control soft contact lenses (p < 0.001). Although significant
intra-regional differences existed, overall, most practitioners did not consider single-vision
distance under-correction to be an effective strategy for attenuating myopia progression
(79.6 %), but prescribed single vision spectacles or contact lenses as the primary
mode of correction for myopic patients (63.6 ± 21.8 %). The main justifications for
their reluctance to prescribe alternatives to single vision refractive corrections
were increased cost (20.6 %) and inadequate information (17.6 %).
Conclusions
While practitioner concern about myopia and the reported level of activity have increased
over the last 4 years, the vast majority of eye care clinicians still prescribe single
vision interventions to young myopes. With recent global consensus evidence-based
guidelines having been published, it is hoped that this will inform the practice of
myopia management in future.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 21, 2019
Accepted:
November 1,
2019
Received:
August 8,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
