image: CooperVision papers and posters at the 2021 British Contact Les Association Clinical Conference span a range of topics that underpin the contact lens industry's evolution, including new data and insights on the complex lifestyle factors involved with addressing presbyopia, misperceptions surrounding soft toric lens fitting, and understanding children's acceptance of innovative optical interventions for slowing the progression of myopia.
Featured first authors include (clockwise from top left): Aldo Zucaro, Brittany Whitenack, Sarah Smith, Karin van Hees-Teuben, Joe Rappon, and Elizabeth Lumb.
SAN RAMON, Calif., June 8, 2021--CooperVision today announced its scientific research program for the 2021 British Contact Lens Association Virtual Clinical Conference and Exhibition, which begins Sunday, June 13. For the first time, the biennial event will be streamed live over the course of 30 hours, welcoming members of the global eye care community to experience and discuss the latest category advancements.
More than 20 CooperVision-authored and sponsored investigations were accepted by the conference committee. The papers and posters span a range of topics that underpin the contact lens industry's evolution, including new data and insights on the complex lifestyle factors involved with addressing presbyopia, misperceptions surrounding soft toric lens fitting, and understanding children's acceptance of innovative optical interventions for slowing the progression of myopia.
"Our commitment to developing evidence-based approaches for many of the world's toughest vision challenges involves sharing the underlying research with peers. It's a privilege to present this work at the 2021 BCLA Conference, especially with its extension to an even more diverse group of eye care professionals (ECPs), scientists, and educators participating virtually," said Gary Orsborn, Vice President, Global Professional, Medical & Clinical Affairs for CooperVision.
The Complexity of Living with Presbyopia
Among several CooperVision presentations regarding presbyopia is an exploration of the daily complexity involved in dealing with the condition, and how this may affect ECP choices. Ethnography Research to Understand the Vision and Switching Experiences of Living with Presbyopia (Zucaro A, et al.) defines three usage personas based on lifestyle choices and self-perception, as well as ranking the activities and locations in which near vision needs were paramount--not all of which were anticipated.
Based on 98 hours of video footage and more than 1,200 data entries of current monovision contact lens, multifocal contact lens and reading spectacles wearers, the analysis suggests that lifestyle and emotional connections to vision have a significant impact on the success of a presbyopia management plan. The authors recommend ECPs consider obtaining more patient input on those dimensions, with an empathetic approach offering the best opportunities to match individuals with correction types.
Clarifying Factors for Soft Toric Lens Fitting Hesitancy
As a leader in soft toric contact lenses, CooperVision continues to discover and tackle ECP hesitancies that present obstacles to successfully fitting people with astigmatism. This dedication is reflected in two papers being presented for the first time at BCLA.
Closing the Toric Gap: Eye Care Professional Attitudes Towards Soft Toric Contact Lens Attributes (Whitenack B, et al.) probes the double-digit percentage gap between the prevalence of astigmatism and documented soft toric lens fitting behaviors in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the United States. Regardless of country, ECPs were aligned on the importance and prioritization of performance attributes such as vision/fit/comfort, clear vision quality, all-day comfort, good overall fit, rotational stability and orientation position. They also believed at least one toric contact lens brand delivered on each attribute, providing a viable option to meet their needs. However, toric expense versus using a sphere lens to mask astigmatism played a role in their decisions. This suggests a need for manufacturers, distributors and educators to demonstrate toric lenses' value more clearly to ECPs and practice staff.
A CooperVision-sponsored project with Eurolens Research delved into the impression that prescribing toric and multifocal soft contact lenses consume more of an ECP's time compared to sphere options. Chair Time Required for the Fitting of Various Soft Contact Lens Designs (Smith S., et al.) employed a retrospective chart review from a large, multi-practitioner optometric practice, examining time stamp data for fitting spherical, multifocal and toric lens designs with the same silicone hydrogel material. The authors found no differences in fitting times, allowing ECPs to cast aside perceptions that have become outdated as soft lens designs and related tools have evolved.
Children's Acceptance of Myopia Control Interventions
CooperVision's myopia management studies have set a high bar for the category, with widespread visibility and credibility owing to their robust study designs and execution. During BCLA, three papers across the optical intervention spectrum will add to the profession's body of knowledge about children's acceptance.
Myopia Progression and Slit-Lamp Findings in Children: MiSight® 1 day Clinical Trial (Lumb E, et al.) offers additional insights from the oft-cited long-term study of the CooperVision soft contact lenses for slowing the progression of myopia, which are currently worn by children in more than two dozen countries. At the conclusion of year six, both weekend and weekday wearing time had increased to nearly 13 and 14 hours, respectively, compared to the minimum recommendation of 10 hours per day. This suggests that the children happily adapted to MiSight® 1 day--an essential element in ensuring compliance.
Acceptance is also the focus of Wearing Experience with a Novel Myopia Management Spectacle Lens Technology (Rappon J, et al.), which evaluated SightGlass Vision Diffusion Optics Technology with children as young as age six. Superb vision and an excellent wearing experience were demonstrated through year one of the ongoing multi-year study. The unique lenses, which have been shown to reduce myopia progression, displayed high wearing compliance, high-quality distance and near vision (measured objectively and subjectively), and high satisfaction in children liking their appearance and loving their glasses.
Evaluation of Children in the Netherlands Fitted with Custom-Made Ortho-K Contact Lenses (van Hees-Teuben K, et al.) considered the myopia control efficacy observed among children in controlled studies with the real-world practice environment. Three-year tracking of Procornea DreamLite® night lenses, which recently earned CE Mark for slowing the progression of myopia, demonstrated near-stable refraction and axial length growth among 40 children. The evaluation also revealed good subjective acceptance for comfort and handling, vision and happiness with the lenses, supporting that myopic children can readily adapt to treatment.
"Everyone at CooperVision is enthusiastic about the strong program curated by the BCLA Conference organizers this year, especially given the hosting challenges with global travel and health restrictions. The sheer amount of research that will be translated from paper to practice over two days is stunning, and we are proud to play such a significant role in the event's success," said Dr. Orsborn.
In addition to its scientific program, CooperVision has organized several educational workshops and sessions as part of the application and skills development tracks. The company will staff a virtual exhibit to showcase its products and services, highlighting how ECPs can 'Prescribe Freedom' with contact lenses. It is also a co-sponsor of the BCLA Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR) initiative, which will factor prominently into the conference.