Myopia Crisis: Helping Diffuse the Time Bomb

Myopia – popularly known as ‘being short sighted’ – is a refractive error, which causes items close by to be seen distinctly while distance vision is blurry. Myopia is increasing in prevalence globally and is causing huge concern within the eye care sector. 

Studies estimate that myopia will affect five billion people worldwide by 2050. In Europe, the myopic population will increase from 22% to 56% within the next 30 years. 

To break this down even further, this means that one in every two people will have some level of myopia. The global myopia crisis signals challenging times ahead for eye care professionals.

Myopia and its causes

For many years, ‘nearsightedness’ was considered to be a genetic condition. The large leap in cases, however, indicates that there’s more at play. It’s now thought that the global increase may be due to environmental factors. These factors include decreased time outdoors, lack of sleep exacerbated by digital device usage and increased near-work activities. Are our increasingly digital lifestyles a major cause of the global myopia crisis? There are now more mobile devices in use around the globe than there are people on the planet, so it is a strong possibility. 

Myopia and adverse ocular complications

The consequences of this ocular pandemic are alarming. If left uncorrected, myopia can lead to irreversible vision loss and even blindness. It can also have a devastating effect on a person’s emotional well-being and quality of life.

While myopia can be easily corrected, if measures aren’t taken to keep it low, it can progress to dangerous levels – increasing the incidence of cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy.

The reality of a visually impaired global population is stark, with heavy burdens being placed in public health care services, as well as the cost of potential lost productivity.

Light at the end of the tunnel with mark’ennovy

mark’ennovy and the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) have teamed up to bring to market a new soft contact lens design for myopia management: MYLO. It is an individually crafted, soft Silicone Hydrogel lens available as a monthly replacement in a broader range of base curves and diameters.

Keeping myopia from progressing is the key – and true innovation – of MYLO’s optical design.

Georges Sarrouf, CEO & Chairman at mark’ennovy, comments: “Considering the growing prevalence of myopia, the eye care sector is faced with a great responsibility to minimise the alarming consequences it can have on a patient’s long-term vision and eye health. With MYLO, our new soft contact lens specifically designed for myopia management, mark’ennovy partnering with the Brien Holden Vision Institute have set out to keep myopia low among the general population.”

“The performance of MYLO is the result of the lens’ Extended Depth of Focus design. The lens design provides a signal to slow eye growth by degrading quality of the image behind the eye and therefore reducing the risk of the eye growing posteriorly,” states Professor Padmaja Sankaridurg, Head of the ‘Global Myopia Centre’ at the Brien Holden Vision Institute Ltd.

MYLO, powered by Brien Holden’s patented Extended Depth of Focus technology, has been granted the CE marking as a medical device specifically for Myopia Management.

Would you like to know more?

Contact our technical support team:

0800 328 0610 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5.30pm) or mkservices@markennovy.com 

We are committed to helping you ensure the best possible contact lens wearing experience for your patients. 

Are you a contact lens user and would like to know more about mark’ennovy?

Exclusively sold to practitioners, please ask your trusted eye care professional for more information.