Call to slow down myopia progression

Nick Atkins welcomes delegates

Eighty optical professionals attended Proven Track Record’s (PTR) Independents Day on 4 July at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.

Keynote speaker Dr Gary Gerber, the co-founder of the world’s first dedicated myopia management clinic, Treehouse Eyes, highlighted the need for optometrists to use all the tools they can to slow down progression. He also recommended that practitioners look at their appointment scheduling, perhaps adding a few hours at an advantageous time and advised that monthly fees were accepted better by parents.

In the ‘Myopia MY Way’ session, leading UK independents Sarah Farrant, Indie Grewal and Bhavin Shah shared their case studies and the lessons they had learned in practice.

Sarah Morgan, vision sciences fellow at the University of Manchester, stressed the importance of positive communication rather than negative discussion about future pathology. She encouraged all practitioners to “start the conversation” for patients from age six. 

Craig McArthur, co-owner of Peter Ivins Eyecare in Glasgow, shared his practice’s commercial strategy for myopia management, pricing model and margin analysis calculations.

Treehouse Eyes co-founder Matt Oerding also spoke from the US on its national Independence Day holiday, explaining how not to market myopia control by sharing amusing advert errors of judgement.

The day ended with a roundtable discussion and Q&A session featuring all of the speakers, including Dr Gerber and Matt Oerding on screen from America.

Event organiser, PTR managing director, Nick Atkins, said: “I was a bit concerned about bringing back the event after the challenges of the last few years, but iDay22 went brilliantly. I knew the speakers were good, but they were all actually amazing, with lots of great tips on how to avoid potential pitfalls. A few delegates came up to me to express how impressed they were which was a huge relief. The iShow exhibition had a great buzz about it which was also gratifying.”

A Specialist Club meeting on the opportunities and strategies for contact lens growth was held the day before at the same venue. Organised by Positive Impact, it attracted 20 independent practitioners.