One of the biggest stories so far in 2019 is the development of the Myopia Task Force, a group of 14 optometrists that have been charged with taking on the alarming growth rate of myopia in the United States and worldwide with the backing Essilor. Studies have shown that by 2050, 50% of the world’s population will by myopic, and 10% will be highly myopic, with prescriptions over -5.00D.

On this podcast, we interviewed Dr. Moshe Mendeslon, one of the 14 doctors participating on the Myopia Task Force. Dr. Mendelson’s private practice, Silicone Valley Eye Physicians, has a strong focus on myopia management. He sees roughly 40 patients a day, and most of these visits are follow-ups assessing the success of myopia management treatment plans his patients are using.

Dr. Mendelson’s passion for myopia management began early in his career.  Upon graduating from the UC Berkeley School of Optometry he went to work at an MD/OD refractive surgery center. During the course of his work, he felt he needed to offer an alternative option for patients that weren’t eligible for or interested in refractive surgery correction, so he began offering orthokeratology contact lenses.  This niche specialty grew into a passion, and inspired the private practice and it’s focus on myopia management that he offers today.

With such a background, it’s no wonder that he was tapped by Essilor to participate in the newly formed Myopia Task Force.  What are the goals of this committee, which also include such lauded influencers in our profession as Drs. Thomas Aller, David Anderson, Craig Brawley, Mark Bullimore, Alan Glazier, John Lahr, Maria Liu, Pamela Lowe, Pamela Miller, Yi Pang, Earl Smith, Long Tran, and David Trolio?

Goal 1: Develop a Recommended Protocol for Myopia Management

We have a multitude of peer review studies that show the efficacy of 3 different approaches to myopia management, including the ATOM 1 and ATOM 2 studies for atropine, the SMART Study for orthokeratology, and multiple studies on the efficacy of soft multifocal contact lenses. The research is there, but what’s missing is a universal protocol for doctors to reference on approaching myopia. The Myopia Task Force plans to help develop or endorse this protocol, as well as informed consent documents that explain risks and benefits for myopia management treatment options, and outline guidance for doctors for how often follow-ups are needed to assess successful myopia management in their patients.

Goal 2: Change the Mindset of ODs on How They Perceive and Treat Myopia

One of the biggest challenges faced in myopia management is the perception of optometrists in how they discuss and approach this condition. “80% of our OD colleagues do not prescribe or believe in myopia management,” Dr. Mendelson shares on the podcast. Most ODs view myopia as a refractive state that they prescribe single vision correction for year after year, even as changes take place.  In most offices, a seven year-old with a -1.00D prescription gets glasses with a -1.00 corrective script. Dr. Mendelson would see this same seven year-old patient, but have a totally different mindset on what to do: he views a -1.00D seven year-old as a -7.00D seventeen year-old, and all the disease risks that are associated wi...