IMI Update Highlights Continued Engagement with Myopia Management

Formed in 2015, the International Myopia Institute (IMI) has since released three series of white papers and clinical summaries available in multiple languages, providing evidence-based recommendations on an array of topics in myopia staging and patient management. Its analysis of how specific continent-wide responses have adapted with time will enable a deeper understanding of how advancements in eyecare research and industry towards myopia control strategies are reflected in clinical practice. The IMI’s latest update paper, published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, the fourth installment, delves further into practitioners’ reasoning behind the previously identified global and regional trends and reviews specific changes in clinical opinions and care of young myopes across the world in 2024. This graph from the study shows the factors cited by practitioners for not prescribing myopia control measures. The untenable economics of the prospect is the most significant factor in North America as well as several other regions. Photo: McGrath R, et al. Eye. September 20, 2025. Click image to enlarge. The survey detailed that a rise in self-reported clinical activity in myopia management has been seen across the world, with practitioners becoming increasingly aware of safe and effective intervention techniques and evidence-based practices to manage and monitor their young myopic patients. In particular, there is a growing proportion of practitioners prescribing efficacious intervention methods to children with lower degrees and slower rates of myopia progression. However, consistent hindrances to myopia management, such as affordability for patients and accessibility of effective control options, need addressing. A total of 2,993 practitioners responded in 2024. From 2015 to 2024, practitioner concern had increased in all continents besides Australasia, being consistently highest in Asia. Practitioner activity level had increased markedly in every continent, with the greatest change in North America.“The most recent survey shows the concern level of practitioners in South America to have risen noticeably; originally reporting the second lowest concern level in 2015, practitioners in South America now report concern matching that of Asia,” the researchers noted in their paper.Access to instrumentation to measure refraction and corneal curvature was generally high across all continents. On the other hand, access to instrumentation/pharmaceuticals to measure cycloplegic refractive error and axial length was much more varied between continents. In particular, practitioners in North America and Europe reported the least accessibility to both measures, whereas practitioners in Asia had high accessibility to both.Perceived efficacy of soft contact lenses approved for myopia control more than doubled since 2015 (24.4% to 52.2%). Practitioners were prepared to prescribe daily disposable soft contact lenses to children 1.5 years younger than that of reusable soft contact lenses, likely due to the practicality and lower risk of adverse ocular events seen with daily disposables.Combination therapy and orthokeratology were perceived to be the most efficacious interventions, yet single-vision spectacles were the most prescribed option. However, the frequency of prescribing single-vision spectacles had decreased since 2015 (by -11.1%).“As undercorrection was once thought to be an effective method of myopia control due to reducing a child’s accommodative response, the results of the current study stress the importance of developments in research being readily accessible and communicated to those practitioners who may not be exposed to important updates in the field,” the researchers wrote.Practitioners felt the higher cost of myopia interventions, compared with single vision correction alone, was once again the primary prevention to prescribe such intervention techniques. This was true for every continent, with no improvement over the last two-year period between surveys. In addition to ocular health, vision and lifestyle benefits, educating patients and parents on research supporting the benefit of myopia management from a financial perspective may encourage further uptake.“Despite differences in prescribing patterns, methods of management and levels of training and engagement, the practice of myopia management across the world continues to benefit the children undergoing treatment, eyecare practices and individual practitioners,” the survey update emphasized. “Engaging in myopia management has been felt by practitioners to positively enhance job satisfaction and practice revenue in every continent, even more so than that reported in 2022.”Click here for the journal source. Whayeb Y, Wolffsohn JS, Logan NS, Santodomingo-Rubido J; International Myopia Institute Ambassador Group. IMI-global trends in myopia management attitudes and strategies in clinical practice—a nine-year review. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. September 17, 2025. [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.