Our children deserve better – HOYA Vision Care calls for urgent action to address childhood myopia

Ophthalmic lens technology leader HOYA Vision Care reinforces its commitment in slowing down myopia progression in children through its innovative advances in MiYOSMART spectacle lenses. 

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is a common eye condition whereby objects far away appear out of focus. By 2050, an estimated 5 billion people could be affected by myopia and annual myopia progression rate is most rapid under 10 years of age.¹ Childhood myopia is a growing global problem due to factors such as increased near-work activities including the usage of digital devices and spending less time outdoors²,  but there is a lack of awareness of this condition and impact amongst patients and the parents of children living with myopia.

The risk of complications increased exponentially with increasing degrees of myopia. Dr. Serge Resnikoff, Chair of the International Myopia Institute said, “There are fundamental differences between having low and high myopia. People with high myopia have a higher risk in developing complications such as macular degeneration, retinal detachment or even glaucoma which may lead to irreversible blindness.” However, there is still no safe level of myopia. Despite the risk of complications being modest at low levels of myopia, it is still a public health threat. In fact, 41.6% of cases of MMD were found in low myopes.³

HOYA Vision Care calls for urgent action to mitigate the burden of myopia by making it a global priority for governments and public health bodies to act collectively to ensure early detection, increase education and awareness. The urgency to prioritize myopia stems from the multi-faceted impact on patients, communities, and healthcare systems. As the prevalence of myopia is increasing, it is also imperative for governments and public health bodies to prioritize its treatment as a public health concern to improve the quality of life for children living with this condition as well as educate on preventive solutions.

Treating myopia in children early helps not only correct their vision but also provide myopia management solutions earlier to slow down the myopia progression and preserve their vision and eye health for the future. MiYOSMART is a spectacle lens based on revolutionary Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) Technology. In a 2-year randomised controlled clinical study, wearing of MiYOSMART spectacle lenses slowed down myopia progression on average by 60%, compared to wearing standard single vision spectacle lenses. 1 in 5 children also had no myopia progression at all within 2 years of wear. ⁴ The 6-year follow-up clinical study also revealed that the myopia management effect was sustained over 6 years, demonstrating that there is benefit in wearing the spectacle lenses long term. ⁵

“Now is the time for our healthcare ecosystems to work together and act collectively upon awareness and education. Our children deserve better – the impact of myopia on our children’s lives should not be overlooked with it affecting their education and quality of life,” said Alexandre Montague, CEO HOYA Vision Care. “The success of MiYOSMART is only the first step. We’re calling for increased efforts to raise awareness, educate Eye Care Professionals, educate parents through Eye Care Professionals about the condition and the importance of diagnosing, monitoring and seeking timely treatment for their children.”

Every child deserves to have better treatment for their vision health. MiYOSMART is available in more than 30 countries* worldwide and over 2 million parents across the world have already trusted the solution for their children. ⁶

*MiYOSMART has not been approved for myopia management in all countries, including the United States, and is not currently available for sale in all countries, including the United States.

About HOYA Vision Care

As a global leader in optical technology, HOYA Vision Care is dedicated to providing innovative vision care solutions for every stage of a patient’s life. A steadfast partner to Eye Care Professionals around the world, it stands at the forefront of optical excellence. With a global presence, consisting of 43 laboratories and a growing team of 20,000 employees, HOYA Vision Care delivers innovative lenses and other vision care solutions to millions of people in 110 countries.

¹ Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, Wong TY, Naduvilath TJ, Resnikoff S, Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050, Ophthalmology, May 2016 Volume 123, Issue 5, Pages 1036?1042

² World Economic Forum. Global rates of short-sightedness are rising rapidly, study shows. Accessed April 2024. Myopia: What causes short-sightedness and why is it rising? | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

³ Bullimore, M.A., Brennan, N.A. Juvenile-onset myopia—who to treat and how to evaluate success. Eye 38, 450–454 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02722-6
⁴ Lam CSY, Tang WC, Tse DY, Lee RPK, Chun RKM, Hasegawa K, Qi H, Hatanaka T, To CH. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomized clinical trial. British Journal of Ophthalmology. Published Online First: 29 May 2019. doi: 10.1136/ bjophthalmol-2018- 313739

⁵ Lam CSY, Tang WC, Zhang HY, et al. Long-term myopia control effect and safety in children wearing DIMS spectacle lenses for 6 years. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):5475. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32700-7

⁶ Based on number of MiYOSMART spectacle lenses sold per. HOYA sales data on file as of August 2023