Vision Screening Protocol: Low-cost, easy-to-use mobile refractometer to expand visual screening of children

The challenge

Myopia is a silent epidemic and a ticking bomb for society. Now recognised as the 4th leading cause of blindness globally [1], the increasing prevalence of myopia has become a major public health challenge worldwide. Based on prevalent trends, myopia and high myopia are increasing at a rapid rate, projected to affect respectively 50% and 10% of the worldwide population by 2050. High myopia, the most severe form of the disease, is associated with a high risk of blindness and serious vision impairments, for example retinal damage, cataracts, glaucoma and blindness in later stages.

In Asia, where prevalence of myopia can reach up to 85% in adults in large urban cities [2][3], governmental intervention has increased to combat and limit the impact of myopia. In Europe and the US, however, although the WHO has recognised myopia as a disease since 2019, awareness of the urgent action to slow down its prevalence has only recently become more prolific.

Unfortunately, Europe’s healthcare specialists are stretched. By offering mass screening eye care tools at the primary care level (at GP’s, community optometrists/opticians, pharmacists), this project aims to mitigate the costs associated with myopia and provides a system to protect the eyesight of the European population.

The solution

Leveraging the expertise of a multidisciplinary consortium, our collaborative project is designed to develop an innovative protocol that will enable easy vision screening by primary caregivers.

This innovation reflects our commitment to advancing professional practice while adhering to the highest regulatory standards and safety requirements.

Expected impact

The project aims at reducing inequalities by addressing part of the WHO social equation of accessibility, affordability, and quality issues.

By enabling new screening protocols, this project aims to empower primary care professionals to support eyecare screening.

By improving care pathways, this project has the potential to reduce the long-term risk of myopia-related pathologies and high myopia.

At a broader level, the project aims to reduce the socio-economic burden associated with myopia-related complications.

External Partners
  • Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild – French Institute of Myopia
References

[1] Bourne et al., Causes of vision loss worldwide, 1990 -2010: a systematic analysis, Lancet Glob Health, 2013 Dec;1(6):e339 -49. doi: 10.1016/S2214- 109X(13)70113-X

[2] Lin at ,Prevalence of myopia in Taiwanese schoolchildren: 1983 to 2000, Ann Acad Med Singap. 2004 Jan;33(1):27-33, PMID: 15008558.

[3] Matsumura, , Ching-Yu, C., Saw, SM. (2020). Global Epidemiology of Myopia. In: Ang, M., Wong, T. (eds) Updates on Myopia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978 -981-13-8491- 2_2

Estelle NETTER
| Project Manager | Essilor International
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