Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month: myopia management, dry eye, amblyopia

Prevent Blindness has declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, a time to educate parents, caregivers, professionals and policymakers on vision and eye health and its role in childhood development.

“Back in 1908, Prevent Blindness began as an organization dedicated to eradicating blindness in newborns,” Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, said in a press release. “More than a century later, we continue to promote children’s vision and eye health through public education and by advocating for support of programs that provide access to eye care.”

According to the release, only 53% of children in the U.S. received a vision screening in 2021.

In recognition of Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, Healio has rounded up its most recent articles about children’s vision and eye health.

World Council of Optometry prioritizes myopia management with education, ambassadors

The World Council of Optometry is supporting its stance that myopia management is standard of care by promoting a global educational resource, according to council leadership at Optometry’s Meeting.

The WCO CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator is an online resource that guides clinicians through mitigation, measurement and management, the group announced this spring. A team of ambassadors was also appointed to raise awareness. Read more.

Poor diet, high BMI risk factors for meibomian gland atrophy, tortuosity in children

Abnormalities in meibomian gland morphology appear common in children, with unhealthy diet, reduced outdoor activity and high BMI among reported risk factors, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.

“Unfortunately, there is limited literature currently to help inform pediatric normative values for dry eye metrics,” Manisha Parikh, OD, a recent graduate of Illinois College of Optometry who practices in California, told Healio. “We are hoping ours, as well as future research, can contribute to this effort.” Read more.

Topical antibiotics may be overprescribed in children with conjunctivitis

Overtreating acute conjunctivitis with topical antibiotics may contribute to antibiotic resistance with no improvement in outcomes, according to a research letter published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

“Although the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests that foregoing immediate topical antibiotic treatment is safe and effective in most circumstances, antibiotics are frequently prescribed,” Daniel J. Shapiro, MD, MPH, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and pediatric emergency care physician at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, and colleagues wrote. Read more.

Low-level red light, atropine result in similar vascular changes in premyopic children

Treatment with low-level red light therapy and atropine led to similar increases in superficial retinal vascular density in premyopic children, whereas only red light therapy affected deep retinal vascular density, according to research.

“Many studies showed that low-dose atropine could effectively delay the progression of myopia in children,” Lili Shang, from the department of ophthalmology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and colleagues wrote in Translational Vision Science & Technology. “Additionally, repeated low-level red light (RLRL) is a newly emerging method to effectively control myopia progression. However, the mechanisms by which these two methods delay myopia progression remain unclear.” Read more.

Prevalence of DED in children slightly lower than adults, but underdiagnosis ‘conceivable’

More research is needed to improve diagnosis of dry eye disease in children, as well as to determine the safety and efficacy of treatment options in this population, according to a literature review published in The Ocular Surface.

“Young people with DED appear to experience a similar profile of symptoms to adults, and the impact of DED on quality of life is considerable, with effects on presenteeism, concentration and performance at school and other activities, including reading and playing,” Fiona Stapleton, MSc, PhD, a professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science at UNSW Sydney, and colleagues wrote. Read more.

Real-world data show Luminopia improves visual acuity in children with amblyopia

Digital health company Luminopia Inc. announced real-world data from the Patients Using Prescription Luminopia Registry, which demonstrated the efficacy of its binocular, virtual reality-based medical device for children with amblyopia.

“The analysis of real-world data from the PUPiL registry demonstrates the benefit of digital therapy in improving outcomes for amblyopia,” Derek Sprunger, MD, FAAO, professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, said in a company press release. “Luminopia’s unique mechanism of action, which doesn’t just penalize the strong eye but uses dichoptic masking to encourage binocular fusion, is proving to be effective for a broad range of patients.” Read more.

VIDEO: Optometrists should ‘consider myopia as a disease’ in children

Treatment should be offered to all children with myopia, even in its early stages, according to a corporate executive at Optometry’s Meeting.

“We are advocating for comprehensive eye exams in children,” Kate A. McClure, OD, MS, FAAO, North American professional education lead for the myopia team at Johnson & Johnson, said in Healio this video perspective. “It’s really important that we catch myopia early in these children we see in our practice.” Read more.