A new survey on parents knowledge of myopia treatment has shown more education is neccessary – revealing that while parents remain focused on their children’s overall success, only 57 percent make regular appointments to stay on top of their children’s health.
The survey was put together by The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC), of which Visioneering Technologies, Inc (ASX: VTI) is a founding member.
Respondents ranked annual visits to the eye doctor as less important than visits to the dentist or paediatrician with only 27 percent of parents reporting that they had taken their children to an optometrist in the past year.
The low percentage of optometrist visits may be due to the misperceptions about what comprehensive eye exams entail, according to the survey. While 85 percent of parents said they were at least somewhat familiar with comprehensive eye exams, 88 percent also believed that such exams are not necessary until their children enter school and nearly half (48 percent) believed that a paediatrician could conduct them.
Since its IPO in 2017, Visioneering has launched its myopia progression control products in Australasia, Europe, and Asia as it aims to meet demand for myopia progression, a very large market worldwide, with the market in China alone estimated to be in excess of $10 billion.
Visioneering CEO Dr Stephen Snowdy said the company is very pleased to support GMAC’s important research as a founding member of the coalition:
Myopia progression is a serious problem and also a very large market opportunity for Visioneering as it affects a third to a half of US children and 80-90% of children in many Asian countries. Visioneering is continuing its global expansion so that we can help improve the lives of children worldwide.”
GMAC recommends that an annual comprehensive eye exam should be scheduled for children as early as six months old, can only be conducted by an eye care specialist, and are vital to diagnosing common vision problems like myopia, or nearsightedness, which can increase the risk of eye diseases later in life.
Unlike regular visits to the dentist or pediatrician, parents reported waiting until something is “wrong,” like their children telling them they can’t see the whiteboard (66 percent), seeing their children squint more than normal (62 percent), or seeing their children hold materials far away (52 percent), in order to take them in for a comprehensive eye exam.
Treatment options for myopia continue to expand. For example, Visioneering’s NaturalVue MF lenses can be prescribed for children suffering from myopia and have been shown to reduce the rate of myopia progression by 90%.
Visioneering has obtained clearances and launched its products for myopia progression control in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Hong Kong, and – most recently – Singapore.
The Company expects to launch in Canada in early 2020. Myopia progression is a very large market worldwide, with the market in China alone estimated to be in excess of $10 billion.