25 March 2024
EssilorLuxottica and the World Council of Optometry have formed a global partnership to establish a standard of care for presbyopia.
Announced during World Optometry Week 2024, the partnership aims to raise awareness and understanding of presbyopia and the ageing eye, supporting eye care professionals with evidence-based scientific approaches and tools and resources.
The partners pointed out that, currently, there are an estimated 2.1 billion people worldwide with presbyopia. With an ageing population, it is estimated that by 2050 more than 4 billion people in the world will have presbyopia.
“With the extension of life expectancy, the majority of individuals will experience an intervention for vision changes due to presbyopia for about half of their lifespan,” the partners shared, adding that different vision care solutions allow individuals to engage in visually demanding near activities at older ages compared to previous generations.
The programme will focus on the pillars of mitigation, measurement, and management of presbyopia.
Insight from international experts will contribute to creating a standard of care resolution and translate the latest research into educational materials. These resources will be published on both the WCO microsite and EssilorLuxottica’s learning platform, Leonardo.
Dr Sandra Block, president of the international membership organisation, WCO, commented: “We are excited to partner with EssilorLuxottica to bring the importance of addressing our patients’ needs to see well up close.”
Block highlighted the many options available to address presbyopia, sharing: “We agree that it is important to bring the information to the eye care practitioner so they can provide the best care for the patients.”
“Along with helping to ensure evidence-based techniques are used, the partnership will highlight the eye health changes that are ongoing as the patients grow older,” she added.
The partners suggested that increasing demand on the eyes of individuals, particularly through the widespread use of digital devices, highlights the importance of evaluating, measuring, and managing presbyopia.
EssilorLuxottica has been partnering with WCO since 2015.
Olga Prenat, head of medical and professional affairs at EssilorLuxottica, said of the new initiative: “Through this important programme, I am certain that we will raise the global conversation around presbyopia and together make an even greater impact by providing a standard of care to manage the condition, but also providing the resources and support needed to help eye care professionals improve patient outcomes.”
Updates on available resources will be announced in the coming months, the partners shared.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in