Making Myopia Consensus Accessible

General ophthalmologists, eye care professionals, paediatricians, and all key figures involved in children’s health need practical and effective tools to recognise and manage myopia in children. This year’s Myopia Consensus Statement by the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus (WSPOS) helped fulfil this need, summarising everything essential about myopia management and treatment, as highlighted by both Ken K Nischal MD and Dominique Brémond-Gignac MD, PhD.

Myopia has become more of a public health concern, with a rise in the prevalence of nearsightedness globally. Experts are talking about a myopia pandemic, and by 2050, half of the global population may be myopic, with more than 740 million children and adolescents affected.¹

Understanding the risks

The need to control myopia progression stems from the risks associated with high myopia, which can increase the chances of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, and other eye conditions.

“The longer your eyeball, the [more] nearsighted you are, and as the eyeball becomes longer, it starts to affect the function and the outcomes of eye health,” Professor Nischal explained. “When the eyeball gets beyond 26 millimetres, the retina does not function properly.”

Several solutions with at least two years of follow-up and solid scientific evidence are now available to control myopia progression, including defocus lenses and contact lenses, low-dose atropine eye drops, orthokeratology, low-level red light therapy, and combination treatments. The WSPOS Consensus Statement presents all these options in an accessible and easy-to-understand format, while also explaining their mechanisms of action and potential side effects.

“The consensus statement provides new data for practitioners, and it is very important to update it regularly, because it is essential to keep children away from high myopia,” Professor Brémond-Gignac noted. “Every dioptre increases the risk of maculopathy, so every dioptre counts.”

However, as the statement highlights, prevention and behavioural interventions remain key in the fight against myopia progression. Daily exposure to natural light, for example, has strong scientific support in protecting children from myopia. Good habits—such as managing screen time and near work, taking breaks every 30 minutes, and avoiding reading in dim light—are also essential. In this context, the role of parents is pivotal, especially in ensuring children adhere to the prescribed treatment to support progress and prevent worsening, as both specialists emphasised. It is also important to consider customised solutions according to what the child and family need, especially financial ones, which must be thoroughly discussed, according to Prof Brémond-Gignac.

A multidisciplinary approach

Myopia management requires a comprehensive approach and understanding to become increasingly effective. For example, as Prof Nischal pointed out, paediatricians and general practitioners—not ophthalmologists—are often the first to respond to children’s health needs. As such, myopia management involves a multidisciplinary group of professionals, including physicians, optometrists, nurses, and opticians, which is why teamwork is essential. Education and awareness for everyone, therefore, play a fundamental role. WSPOS is fully committed to this through webinars, podcasts, and the broad dissemination of the consensus statement’s content, with plans to translate the WSPOS statement into multiple languages to reach a global audience.

Collaboration with public health institutions and schools should also be effective in educating the public about the risks of myopia, as Prof Nischal wrote in an editorial published in Eye.² Some countries, such as France, dedicate an entire week each year to national myopia campaigns, featuring free screening programmes and advertisements on social media, TV, and newspapers.

Within the ophthalmic community, general ophthalmologists can play a vital role by staying updated and performing initial patient screenings to identify cases that require referral to a myopia specialist, as Prof Brémond-Gignac emphasised timing is a crucial element. Only patients with high myopia or associated conditions—such as glaucoma, retinal dystrophies, or retinopathies—should be referred to a paediatric ophthalmologist. As Prof Nischal suggested, it is important to establish a workflow within one’s clinic, which may include having a myopia specialist or a nurse practitioner who can counsel parents.

Windows to the soul

Spreading awareness about how to control and manage myopia is essential not only for children’s eye health but also for their overall and mental well-being. In an increasingly digital world, the ophthalmological community remains integral in helping children and families understand the importance of preventive strategies such as spending time outdoors and limiting screen time. “As leaders in ophthalmology, we can be the windows to the soul of the entire human race and influence the generations to come, improve their health, and control myopia. Children are our future, and their vision must be saved,” Prof Nischal said. For Prof Brémond-Gignac, early detection and prevention are among the most important strategies in myopia management.

“There are many existing myopia control systems that we can prescribe, and they need to be known by everybody. The Myopia Consensus Statement is an incredibly good system of guidelines to be disseminated globally,” she concluded.

The WSPOS Consensus Statement is available online at https://wspos.org/myopia-consensus-statement-2025/.

Ken K Nischal MD, FAAP, FRCOphth is professor and chief of paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. nischalkk@upmc.edu

Dominique Brémond-Gignac MD, PhD, FEBO is professor and head of the ophthalmology department at University Hospital Necker-Enfants-malades and Paris University, Paris, France. dominique.bremond@aphp.fr

1. Liang J, Pu Y, Chen J, et al. Br J Ophthalmol, 2025; 109: 362–371.