Today’s post, all quotes. No guru rants.
Peer reviewed article subject:
Is optometry ready for myopia control? Education and other barriers to the treatment of myopia
The following quotes courtesy of:
1 Centre for Eye Research Ireland, School of Physics and Clinical and Optometric Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
2 Children’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
3 African Vision Research Institute, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
Here we go. Ready?
The overwhelming attitude from optometrists based in clinical practice was that their knowledge is too limited to offer myopia control treatment. One recent optometry graduate working in a multiple practice stated “I don’t know anything about myopia control or myopia control contact lenses. I was never taught how to fit them,” with another optometrist contributing “the control of myopia is beyond our scope of practice”.
Contrarily, academics felt failure to discuss myopia control or refer a progressive myope for myopia control treatment was verging on negligent and should be discouraged, with agreement around the opinion of one academic who commented “you can’t deny treatment on the basis of your own limitation[s]”, and another adding “if the optometrist does not offer referral for myopia control, that is negligence”.
Academics highlighted that increasing awareness of the importance of myopia control among the profession is necessary in order to exercise a culture of best practice, and suggested this should be driven by postgraduate education, widespread community education and optometrists with a focus on patient-centred care mentoring in clinical practice settings. One academic optometrist commented on the importance of parental education to influence a change in clinical practice behaviour, “If parents are putting pressure on optometrists about myopia control, then that would make it happen”.
A major theme to emerge from the focus group discussions was a clear disparity in the approach to myopia control between academic optometrists, final year optometry students and clinicians in practice. Academic faculty felt it was unacceptable to continue to treat progressive myopes with single vision spectacles, and considered themselves competent in managing progressive myopia; either by offering myopia control therapy such as multifocal contact lenses or orthokeratology, or by referral to a practice offering myopia control. Academics believed the optometry curriculum should provide undergraduates with the clinical skills and knowledge to practise myopia control, with consensus around the opinion voiced by one academic optometrist that “In terms of educating current graduates, yes there is a lot done, the undergraduates should be experts on myopia control, but we don’t do a lot in terms of post graduate education”.
Original article here.
Or download the full PDF: myopia-control-negligent
For some context, there are ophthalmologist who very actively post online denying the very concept of myopia control, and claim endmyopia is bunk. “-10 diopters if fine, myopia is nothing to worry about”.
Caveat emptor, as always.
Cheers,
Jake