World Council of Optometry and CooperVision Partner on Myopia Management Navigator Educational Resource
Interactive Guide Aimed at Boosting Adoption of Myopia Management Global Standard of Care
ST. LOUIS (April 25, 2024)—To help advance myopia management as a standard of care, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) is partnering with CooperVision, a global leader in myopia management, to introduce an interactive and educational resource for eye care practitioners worldwide. The WCO CooperVision® Myopia Management Navigator (myopianavigator.info) takes you on a journey through the three M’s of myopia management: mitigation, measurement, and management.
Each of the three sections of the Navigator is linked to various elements of content and filled with advice and practical actions to explore in the form of “Myopia Moments," webinars and much more. The Navigator also serves as a ready resource in clinical settings to provide guidance for patients and families in discussions about myopia management.
WCO President Dr. Sandra Block said, “We are pleased to partner with CooperVision on this important educational initiative which complements our ongoing efforts to advance myopia management as the global standard of care. It is crucial to educate both new and more experienced practitioners, and to expand their knowledge on integrating myopia management in their practices. We have made good progress, but there is still work to be done to prompt action worldwide.”
The WCO myopia management standard of care resolution was developed and introduced in April 2021. It includes the three main standard of care pillars of mitigation, measurement, and management. With the global support of CooperVision, WCO has since worked to advance awareness and adoption of this landmark initiative.
CooperVision Director, Global Professional Affairs, Myopia Elizabeth Lumb said, “The Navigator offers a user-friendly online platform, providing a simple and accessible resource for clinicians, parents, and allied professionals to navigate their own educational path through myopia management. In addition, we’re grateful to the WCO for offering an opportunity to partner with global ambassadors, enabling us to extend our reach and raise awareness on a global scale. This collaboration provides us with an extra avenue to amplify and promote this valuable resource.”
WCO recently appointed a team of ambassadors to spread the word about the Navigator based on their myopia management educational roles, outreach, and practice-building initiatives. One ambassador serves as a global representative, and the remaining three regional leads from a diverse set of geographies are leading optometrists with extensive experience in myopia management in both clinical practice and educational settings. All four WCO ambassadors are actively involved in day-to-day myopia management. They are:
Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FBCLA, Global Representative: Nicola Logan is a professor of optometry and physiological optics at the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Jagrut Lallu, MSc Specialty Lenses, BOptom, FIAOMC, Asia–Pacific Representative: Jagrut Lallu is a partner of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand. He is also the director of Innovatus Technology, which develops software to make contact lens design accessible to contact lens practitioners.
Síofra Harrington, PhD, FAOI, European Representative: Síofra Harrington is a lecturer, researcher, and clinical supervisor with the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences at Technological University in Dublin, Ireland. She is also a fellow of the Association of Optometrists Ireland.
Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, ABO Diplomate, Americas Representative: Ashley Wallace Tucker is a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care and The Contact Lens Institute of Houston, a private practice in Houston, Texas. Tucker is also a visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she is the course master for the Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory.
For global ambassador full biographies, click here.
To access the WCO CooperVision® Myopia Management Navigator, visit myopianavigator.info. Explore the World Council of Optometry myopia management online resource featuring the standard of care pledge signup page, resolution, and practical tools and information for optometrists at https://myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/. For questions about myopia management, email the WCO ambassadors at MMNambassador@worldoptometry.org.
About the World Council of Optometry
The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is an international membership-based non-profit organization for individual optometrists, industry professionals, and optometric organizations that envisions a world where optometry makes high-quality eye health and vision care accessible to all people. Its mission is to facilitate the development of optometry around the world and support optometrists in promoting eye health and vision care as a human right through advocacy, education, policy development, and humanitarian outreach. To learn more, please visit www.worldoptometry.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (Nasdaq:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on improving lives one person at a time. The Company operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, improving the vision of millions of people every day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s health company dedicated to assisting women, babies and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 15,000 with products sold in over 130 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
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