Lecture: Return of the myope

While increasing availability of clinically useful interventions to slow the progression of myopia offer choice, they also have the potential to increase complexity for both the eye care professional (ECP) and the parents in clinical prescribing decisions. Given that a young child with myopia has a long runway of progression ahead of them, ECPs will need to adopt flexibility in prescribing myopia controlling interventions as young children become young adults. Myopia management could be a 10+ year commitment and an eight year old will have different needs and motivations than an 18 year old. Equally, good adherence with the recommended wear time with any of the interventions is essential to achieve maximum myopia control potential. Ultimately, the best option is what is right for a given moment in time and ECPs and families may need to evolve as the child grows up in a myopia management intervention. This lecture will discuss a variety of scenarios that ECPs could face when myopic children return for their routine follow-up appointments and share management approaches supported by the evidence base for each scenario.

Learning outcome(s):

The ability to communicate the importance of compliant wear to maximise success to parents and patients (s.2)

The ability to support patients by giving advice on lifestyle and on making choices that will improve compliance (s.1)

The ability to use up to date evidence-based technology to support knowledge development (s.5)

An understanding of the specific recommendations that can improve adherence to a prescribed myopia management regimen (s.5)

The ability to encourage adherence to a prescribed myopia management regime through correct follow up protocols (s.7).