By Alexandra Roos, PhD, Director of Global R&D Pediatrics Programs at HOYA Vision Care
I’ve worked in the ophthalmic optics industry for over two decades, focusing on correcting visual impairments like myopia, hyperopia and presbyopia. In 2012, I moved to Singapore—a place known as the ‘capital of myopia’ due to its high prevalence, especially among teenagers and young adults.[1] Research shows that people with myopia experience a lower quality of life—and the higher the myopia, the worse their experience becomes.[2] There is no safe level of myopia; it is often progressive and carries risks of developing eye pathologies later in life.[3],[4] Therefore, we cannot ignore any level of myopia for everyday life or future eye health.
I noticed that the field of myopia control was rather underdeveloped in Asia, with no efficacious solution that could slow down the progression of myopia in children. Commonly found commercial solutions were not effective enough. As a scientist, I felt compelled to find a solution. I began researching myopia to understand it fully: its causes, consequences, mechanisms and most effective solutions to tackle it.
At the 2017 International Myopia Conference (IMC), a groundbreaking study by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and HOYA Vision Care revealed the high efficacy of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) Technology in spectacle lenses for managing myopia.[5] This study marked a significant clinical milestone, demonstrating that spectacle lenses as a possible solution are accessible, affordable and highly effective in slowing down myopia progression during childhood. Living in Singapore and seeing firsthand the sheer scale of myopia’s impact made me truly understand the significance of this technology in achieving healthy vision for children. Today, the long-term benefits of DIMS spectacle lenses[6] continue to be demonstrated, with eight-year data presented at IMC in 2024.[7]
SCREENING AND LONG-TERM VISUAL HEALTH
Optometrists, now more than ever before, play a crucial role in educating families and protecting every myopic child by ensuring they leave their appointment with a recommended and effective myopia management solution. As recommended by the American Optometric Association, screening should happen from preschool age and continue annually through adulthood to ensure the best lifelong eye health.[8] Early detection and intervention can slow the progression of myopia, help prevent greater complications later in life[9] and even identify children at risk of developing myopia and potentially delay its onset.[10]
To deliver quality vision evaluation at scale, we need screening tools that are accurate, simple, quick and easy to use, even with very young children. Prioritizing access from the perspectives of accuracy, affordability and clinical need has always been critical to developing new and alternative biometric measurement approaches. These can provide actionable information on myopia progression and inform treatment. Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence-enabled solutions and telemedicine, hold promise to scale the delivery of these tools in the future and increase access to vision care for more children.[11]
Innovation in screening is critical to ensure that every child’s vision care needs are met. But the innovation we need isn’t just technological: governments and institutions also have a significant role to play. Making eye screening from a preschool age mandatory facilitates the early detection of myopia, allowing for timely interventions to prevent or slow its progression at scale. Taiwan is a great case study: for over 30 years, the Taiwan Student Vision Care Program, promoted by the country’s Ministry of Education, has provided screenings for visual impairment beginning at preschool age, with the goal of reducing myopia prevalence nationwide.[12]
On an international scale, The World Health Organization’s SPECS 2030 initiative emphasizes the urgency of prioritizing children’s eye care in policy development to ensure that the vision needs of all children are met. With collaboration and urgent action, we can reach the SPECS 2030 target of a 40% increase in the proportion of people with access to appropriate spectacles by 2030.[13]
WHERE MYOPIA MANAGEMENT IS GOING
Moving forward, we will continue to focus on protecting children’s eye health by keeping levels of progressive myopia as low as possible and eradicating high myopia. I imagine a world where children never develop myopia. And if they do, the aim is to bring them back as close to perfect eyesight as possible. This is achievable through advancements in spectacle lens solutions and by addressing high-risk factors early on.
In recent years, we’ve moved beyond simple corrective lenses for refractive error. Now, with innovations such as D.I.M.S. Technology in MiYOSMART* spectacle lenses, we can significantly slow down the progression of myopia once it’s been diagnosed. Since introducing MiYOSMART to the market, we have improved the lives of 2.7 million children globally.
The ultimate goal is to prevent myopia from developing in the first place, to mitigate its impact on long-term quality of life and, in ideal cases, even reverse it.
*Product Disclaimer: MiYOSMART spectacle lenses have not been approved for use in the management of myopia in all countries, including the U.S., and are not currently available for sale in all countries, including the U.S.
REFERENCES
[1] Ng I, Yin WT. Speech by Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Health, at the opening of the Singapore National Eye Centre’s Myopia Centre, 16 August 2019. Available through the newsroom here. Accessed: March 2025.
[2] Sankaridurg P, et al. IMI Impact of Myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021;62:2.
[3] Sun MT, et al. Glaucoma and Myopia: Diagnostic Challenges. Biomolecules. 2023;13:562.
[4] Recko M. Childhood Myopia: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention. Mo Med. 2015;112:116–21.
[5] Schaeffel F. All about restraining eye growth: the 16th International Myopia Conference in Birmingham, UK. Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics. 2018;38:210–4.
[6] Lam CSY, et al. Long-term myopia control effect and safety in children wearing D.I.M.S. spectacle lenses for 6 years. Sci Rep. 2023;13:5475.
[7] Lam CSY, et al. Eight years of wearing defocus incorporated multiple segments (D.I.M.S.) spectacle lenses: user experience and myopia control outcomes. Poster presented at: IMC 2024; September 25–28, 2024; Sanya, Hainan, China. Poster B32.
[8] American Optometric Association. See the full Picture of Your Health with an Annual Comprehensive Eye Exam. Available at: https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/caring-for-your-eyes/full-picture-of-eye-health. Accessed: March 2025.
[9] Hutton D. Early vision screening is key to slowing myopia progression in children. Ophthalmology Times. November 2024. Available at: https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/early-vision-screening-is-key-to-slowing-myopia-progression-in-children. Accessed: March 2025.
[10] Gifford K. How to identify and manage pre-myopes. Available at: https://www.myopiaprofile.com/articles/identify-manage-pre-myopes. Accessed: March 2025.
[11] Ali SG, et al. AI-enhanced digital technologies for myopia management: advancements, challenges, and future prospects. The Visual Computer. 2024;40:3871–87.
[12] Wu PC, et al. Myopia prevention in Taiwan. Ann Eye Sci. 2018;3:10.21037/aes.2018.01.05.
[13] World Health Organization, SPECS 2030, Available at https://www.who.int/initiatives/specs-2030 (2024). Accessed: March 2025.
Read the interim analysis on D.I.M.S. here.
Photo courtesy of HOYA Vision Care
