15 May 2026
The Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) and Review of Myopia Management have announced that this year’s Myopia Awareness Week will focus on the theme ‘Start early, protect vision for life.’
A resource toolkit is available to download online for the awareness-raising week, which runs from 18–24 May.
BHVI chief executive, Yvette Waddell, highlighted that each year the week reaches more clinicians – increasing awareness of myopia and its effect on eye health.
“This year, we are bringing in a greater public health focus to the campaign, equipping clinicians with resources to help raise awareness of myopia among the public and the steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of school-aged children developing it,” she said.
Review of Myopia Management executive editor, Kristen Dalli, emphasised that Myopia Awareness Week is more than a campaign.
“It is a coordinated effort to protect the vision and futures of the next generation,” she said.
“We know that early myopia intervention is key to long-term eye health, and getting involved in Myopia Awareness Week further solidifies that message. The changes we make today mean we can prevent the onset or slow the progression of myopia and see longer tomorrow,” Dalli highlighted.
The three clear actions that are being promoted as part of the week are: booking regular eye examinations for school-aged children, encouraging daily outdoor time of two to three hours, and continuing to spread the word about myopia’s effects on eye health.
To mark Myopia Awareness Week 2026, OT approached optometrists for their insight on exciting developments within the field and what motivates them in myopia management practice.
Deven Lakhani, locum optometrist
The most exciting development in myopia management is…
In my view, it is the increasingly widespread acceptance that myopia is a significant public health concern that we need to be active in managing. This turnaround is within the profession, industry, and most importantly among the wider public. The ability to manage myopia and reduce the risk of sight-threatening eye disease is the single biggest advancement in my professional career and I feel immensely privileged to be able to help young myopes in this way.
I am motivated to provide myopia management in practice because…
Of my personal history of having myopia. When I was a child, there were no evidence-backed options for intervention, and my primary motivation is to offer young people with myopia the opportunities for preventing potential ocular disease that I was never given. Furthermore, I make it a cornerstone of my clinical work within myopia that we have a three-way discussion with myself, the parent(s) and the myopic child. All of us have an important role to play in our shared goal and I feel very strongly that as clinicians we should be including the young people we look after into this conversation.
The myopia management patient who sticks in my memory is…
A seven-year-old girl who was brought to me with visual and social concerns. She had been wearing glasses only and her mother said that although she was very active and had been selected to represent her county in gymnastics and swimming, she was struggling to fulfil her potential due to poor vision. We fitted her with night lenses (ortho-k) which helped her see better, stabilised the myopic progression, and offered her a life-changing form of visual correction that has been a tremendous success.
Mohammed Hafejee, senior IP optometrist at Airedale Opticians
The most exciting development in myopia management is…
Up until recently it was the introduction of atropine (Ryjunea) drops, but the recent release of data on the Miyosmart iQ lens has really piqued my interest. Often, I find the very young myopes tend to progress more quickly, and they are the ones who are the most difficult to stabilise, even with myopia control intervention. If Miyosmart IQ can do that quicker, it’s really exciting to have that available in our armoury of myopia control treatment options.
I am motivated to provide myopia management in practice because…
I’m motivated to provide myopia management in practice because it represents a shift from simply correcting a child’s vision to treating and protecting their future eye health. When a child’s myopia progresses, the concern in not just thicker lenses, it is the increased risk of ocular disease in later life. By identifying progression early, educating the child and parent, and offering evidence-based management options, we can make a meaningful difference to a child’s long-term eye health. Having a proactive, preventative approach is one of the most rewarding parts of modern optometry.
Myopia management is not only about slowing progression, but also about supporting a child’s confidence, independence and quality of life
The myopia management patient who sticks in my memory is…
A nine-year-old attended with both parents, who were understandably concerned about the progression of her myopia following her previous examination. Although the family were not local to my practice, I felt it was important to spend time explaining all the appropriate management options clearly and openly. This allowed us to have a detailed discussion about her lifestyle, hobbies and daily visual needs.
Based on this, I recommended ortho-K lenses as one possible option. However, I always prefer families to have time to go away, reflect on the information and make a decision they feel fully comfortable with.
The family later returned, keen to proceed with ortho-K. At subsequent visits, her parents shared that they had noticed a real positive change in her confidence. For me, this was a lovely reminder that myopia management is not only about slowing progression, but also about supporting a child’s confidence, independence and quality of life.
Pamela Robertson, clinical director at Angus Optix
The most exciting development in myopia management is…
The advent of commercially available low dose atropine becoming available to UK children is probably the most exciting thing happening right now. We’ve had orthokeratology for decades, myopia management soft contact lenses and spectacles for some time too but atropine has never been widely available at an affordable level for ‘normal’ families. It has only been available through specialist ophthalmology services and hospital pharmacies. The ability to be able to prescribe this on the High Street at an affordable level could be a game changer.
John Davidson, clinical director at Querido and Davidson Optometrists
The most exciting development in myopia management is…
The imminent arrival of low-dose atropine in the UK will be a very useful adjunct to myopia management options for children with rapidly advancing myopia.It will be interesting to see where drug pricing will be positioned as it may not be financially accessible to many families. We have many children attending the practice with successful myopia management but in some families the myopia slows only slightly and less than we hoped. Only long-term clinical trials and data will show us the efficacy of using atropine in this group.
I am motivated to provide myopia management in practice because…
As an optometrist, initially using orthokeratology to correct myopia in children was extremely gratifying – especially seeing the child's reaction when they removed their contact lenses the first morning.
As time has progressed and we understand more about the link between axial length and increased risk of myopia-associated ocular pathology, what motivates me is the ability to make a difference to this population in old age. The current cohort of young myopic children are expected to live past 100 and face increased prevalence of age-related eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. If I can reduce that risk even slightly, any reduction in risk should be beneficial in later life.
Dr Keyur Patel, clinical director at Tompkins Knight & Son
The most exciting development in myopia management is…
I believe the most exciting development in myopia management is the increasing number of validated products available. This provides greater choice, allows us to treat a wider range of patients, and introduces more competition within the market. Ultimately, this should help reduce costs for patients, making treatment more accessible to more children.
I am motivated to provide myopia management in practice because…
As an optometrist, I am motivated to provide myopia management because it is in the best interests of my patients. These children may otherwise face long-term complications later in life. If we can intervene early and improve their future eye health, that is incredibly rewarding.
I also believe that optometrists are best placed to deliver myopia management. It is an area where our expertise is unmatched within eye care, and we should take ownership of it as a profession. So, let’s own it. Let’s be good at it, and let’s be proud that we can offer it to our patients for their wellbeing and their long-term betterment.
Doré Kay, IP optometrist, Boots Opticians Buchanan Galleries
The most exciting development in myopia management is....
In Boots Opticians, we have recently started using the myopia management app, Ocumetra, to aid patient education and enhance conversations around myopia management. It gives patients a personalised, visual report which helps convey clinical information regarding their prescription, and how it may progress in a simple and easy to understand way. It has made conversations around myopia management so much easier and is really helping patients make an informed decision about their eye care.
I am motivated to provide myopia management in practice because...
Myopia management can help reduce future ocular health complications and improve quality of life. Helping patients understand this and following a journey with them as they progress with their treatment has proven to be very rewarding. Ocumetra has enhanced this further as we can update the patient’s report as they return for future appointments and give them a visual display of how their progress is evolving.
The myopia management patient who sticks in my memory is....
Not an individual but a collection of families – many with highly myopic parents or siblings – who are just so grateful to have treatment options that are proactive and should enable preventative future outcomes for their child.
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