HOYA Vision Care Advocates on the Importance of Outdoor Time and Sun Protection for Myopic Children

Increased time outdoors remains a critical factor for preventing myopia and its progression.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 11, 2023 /CNW/ -- HOYA Vision Care, a leader in optical technology innovation, is on a mission to help prevent and treat myopia in children, which is an ever-growing global concern, including Canada. By 2050, an estimated five billion people – half the world's population – could be myopic.¹ Evidence suggests outdoor time protects against myopia progression and could boost the outcome of a myopia management intervention.^2,3 Myopic children should be encouraged to partake in daily outdoor activities for at least two hours.

Protecting children's eyes from harmful UV rays and intense sunlight is equally essential. According to the American Optometric Association, children are more susceptible to eye damage from UV light than adults because their pupils are larger and the lenses of their eyes are more transparent, allowing more UV rays to reach inside the eye. Moreover, myopic children using atropine drops for myopia need more sun protection as some experience photophobia due to pupil dilation.^4-6 Preventing long-term eye damage is achievable with effective reliable sun protection.

"HOYA Vision Care is on the front line of raising awareness about the growing global phenomenon of myopia in children. Myopic children need a solution that will correct myopia and slow its progression, as well as protect them from UV light," said Frederiek Ysebaert, Managing Director of the Pediatric Care Business Unit at HOYA Vision Care. "We work alongside eye care professionals to develop better treatments. Their input plus the medical literature is clear: increased time outdoors is integral to myopia treatment for children, and their eyes should be protected from intense sunlight."

This month, HOYA Vision Care will roll out a new line of MiYOSMART^® sun spectacle lenses utilizing its award-winning Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) Technology. The photochromic and polarized spectacle lenses were developed to slow myopia progression in children while protecting them from intense sunlight.^4,7-10 The new products, along with MiYOSMART* clear lenses, allow children to participate in outdoor and indoor activities without compromising their eyesight.

*MiYOSMART spectacle lenses have not been approved for use in managing Myopia in all countries, including the U.S. They are not currently available for sale in all countries, including the U.S.

About HOYA Vision Care
For over 60 years, HOYA Vision Care has been a passionate and global leader in optical technology innovation. As a manufacturer of high quality, high performing eyeglass lenses, HOYA continuously aims to bring the best possible vision care solutions to Eye Care Professionals and their patients around the world. The company supplies lenses in 110 countries with a network of over 17,000 employees and 43 laboratories around the globe. For more information or to get in touch, visit www.hoyavision.ca.

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26875007/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30573292/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31430758/
4. https://www.wspos.org/wspos-sunlight-exposure-childrens-eyes-consensus-statement/
5. https://preventblindness.org/childrens-eyes-are-more-susceptible-to-long-term-damage-from-uv-rays/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22491402/
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29891900/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31142465/
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16776732/
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27346784/

SOURCE HOYA Vision Care

Kim Kochendorfer, HOYA Vision Care, Canada, Email: [email protected]