CooperVision Celebrates Contact Lens Heroes at BCLA Conference, Partnering with ECPs to Take on Myopia, Hypoxia, and Dropout through Innovative Science, Insight and Practice

MANCHESTER, England, May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Contact lens and eye health professionals are gathering at the Manchester Central convention complex for the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) Clinical Conference & Exhibition 2019. Among them are scientists, clinicians and executives from CooperVision, Inc., which is celebrating contact lens heroes in areas including practice excellence, advanced research and professional education.

"Research has shown the difference that eye care professionals (ECPs) can make to people's lives with contact lenses, helping improve self-confidence and a sense of freedom for their patients. In this sense, they are contact lens heroes, working every day to enhance vision and quality of life. ECPs don't seek the recognition that they so significantly deserve, and there's no better time to shine a spotlight on them and say thank you," said Debbie Olive, General Manager UK & Ireland, CooperVision. "We are thrilled to celebrate and partner with ECPs, focusing on their amazing contributions to society, including how they make life-changing differences with contact lenses."

That celebration and knowledge-sharing spans the entirety of the BCLA Conference, centered on how ECPs and CooperVision are collaborating to take on some of the greatest opportunities and challenges in eye health. CooperVision is a Partner-level sponsor of the event.

Taking on Myopia

The prevalence of myopia—also known as nearsightedness and short-sightedness—is increasing among children around the world. It is projected to affect the vision and ocular health of approximately five billion people by 2050, more than doubling today's numbers¹. CooperVision researchers were among the first to seek commercial methods that could broadly address the issue. From those efforts came the first soft contact lens specifically designed to slow myopia progression in children.

On Friday, the company will unveil five-year data from its landmark MiSight^® 1 day myopia management clinical trial. The latest iteration of this study² provides a view of myopia progression rates in children wearing the specialised contact lenses for an extended time frame. Among its revelations are that children who commence myopia management with MiSight^® 1 day at an older age progress at the same rate as those who have been in treatment for the full five years³.

In addition, CooperVision has brought together leading myopia management experts for a two-hour panel discussion on Friday. Chaired by Prof. Jeff Walline, the "Exploring Myths and Misconceptions in Myopia Management" discussion features Dr. Nicola Logan, Prof. Mark Bullimore, Prof. Philip Morgan, Dr. Sara McCullough and Sarah Morgan in what could be the most-attended programme session in Manchester.

Taking on Hypoxia

One opportunity is continuing to provide patients with innovative contact lenses that provide higher levels of oxygen to the eye, reducing risks related to hypoxia. In a recent CooperVision survey conducted in the United Kingdom, United States and Japan, 92% of ECPs agree that 1-day silicone hydrogel lenses are the best choice to safeguard patient eye health related to contact lens wear⁴.

As the transition from frequent replacement to 1-day contact lenses continues, CooperVision is previewing new data in Manchester. The information- and insight-packed report profiles ECPs' successes in overcoming largely self-imposed challenges such as perceived price barriers. Based on research among 450 ECPs and 2,000 contact lens wearers from Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the U.S., the report highlights that ECP recommendations are the key factor in refitting a patient to a 1-day lens. In 84% of all switching scenarios, the ECP is driving the change. Moreover, 69% of patients report that they make their final lens choice based on the ECP recommendation⁵. The full report is available for download at coopervision.com/frp-to-1day-sihy.

On Thursday, a CooperVision-sponsored panel will explore what's behind ECP recommendations. "What Contact Lenses are We Prescribing and Why?" features Eric Papas, Karen Walsh, Dr. Lyndon Jones and Prof. Debbie Sweeney discussing modalities and materials trends, biases and fitting habits that directly impact patient health.

CooperVision offers a comprehensive portfolio of silicone hydrogel 1-day lenses, including the Live^®, clariti^® 1 day and MyDay^® brands that provide options across price points and lens designs.

Taking on Dropout

Despite the widespread use of contact lenses, retention continues to be a challenge, with wearers choosing to drop out during initial trial or later in life as their vision correction needs change. In partnership with ECPs, CooperVision is making available a suite of tools, education and content to help support a lifetime of contact lens wear.

Under the business support programme CooperVision Advantage^™, ECPs may access numerous activities; these include CET-accredited workshops, front-of-house staff training, and patient-facing learning materials. Contact Lens Coach (coopervision.co.uk/contactlenscoach) is a fully interactive patient-focused website developed to answer the most frequent questions from first-time wearers from the convenience of their phone, tablet or laptop. In addition, the company is helping make fitting more efficient and effective with tools such as its OptiExpert^™ app, used by thousands of ECPs each month across 15 languages and 76 countries and territories on the iOS and Android platforms. OptiExpert^™ helps improve accuracy of the first choice lens, reducing chair time for both ECPs and their patients.

Celebrating Contact Lens Heroes

CooperVision will be encouraging ECPs to share their experiences of when contact lenses made a genuine difference to a patient's life. Stories from the Chair (www.coopervision.co.uk/ practitioner/stories-chair/videos) will be at the CooperVision BCLA stand with a video booth ready to capture more amazing stories of everyday contact lens prescribing. These ECP videos will add to the growing number of stories already filmed and shared through social media, with the aim of celebrating the work of ECPs and helping to raise the profile of contact lenses in eye care practice.

Scientific and Industry Education Leadership

BCLA 2019 also presents CooperVision with the opportunity to share further scientific advancements with ECPs and research peers. Four paper presentations, eleven posters, two workshops and the two aforementioned panels encompass the company's breadth and depth of study and support. Topics include the environmental impact of contact lens disposal, contact lens dehydration, lens care solution comfort, myopia management, silicon hydrogel performance, and behavioral and attitudinal differences between wearers of contact lenses and spectacles.

In addition, CooperVision is sponsoring a workshop on category growth. "Are you getting your Contact Lens Fair Share?" will be held on Friday, led by Mark Draper and Zoe Bull.

Adding a dose of fun into the proceedings, CooperVision has provided an educational grant to support Thursday evening's "An Eye for Knowledge" pub quiz. Designed by the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), the quiz will be co-hosted by Dr. Lyndon Jones, director of CORE and recipient of this year's BCLA Medal, along with the University of Manchester's Sarah Morgan.    

"No single announcement can capture the full extent of our participation in the BCLA Conference this year, nor should it," said Olive. "We invite attendees to fully immerse themselves in the incredible opportunities in Manchester, many of which we are proud to host and champion. Being an ECP isn't always easy nor is it always glamorous, but over the next few days we'll make sure that they're celebrated at every turn as incredible heroes."

¹ Holden et al, - Global Prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology 2016. 123(5):1036-1042

² Chamberlain P, Logan N, Jones D, Gonzalez-Meijome J, Saw S-M, Young G. Clinical evaluation of a dual-focus myopia control 1 day soft contact lens: 3-year results (2016 American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting) and 4-year results (2018 BCLA Asia Conference).

³ MiSight^® 1 day contact lenses are currently available for sale in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordic Region, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. MiSight^® 1 day is not approved in the United States.

⁴ 1-Day Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Report: Does Professional Practice Align with Consumer Expectations? CooperVision, August 2018, prepared in part from ECP perception of the benefits of 1-day silicone hydrogels. February 2018. Cello Health Insight. Data on file. Survey carried out online in US, UK and Japan. Total sample size n= 300 (100 ECPs in each country)

⁵ Basis Research. Migration from FRP to DD. Surveys conducted online in Q1 2019 in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain) and the US. 75 eye care professionals (ECPs) in each European country, with French sample weighted to 75; 150 ECPs in the US, plus 500 consumers in Germany, Italy, Spain and the US who had switched from FRP to DD in the last 6 months, or who were open to using DD in future. 2019. Unless otherwise stated, figures given in the report are the average of responses from both Europe and the US.

About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly, two-week and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit coopervision.com.  

About The Cooper Companies
The Cooper Companies, Inc. ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Cooper has more than 12,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.

Media Contact
Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.
[email protected] or +1-585-545-1815 (mobile)

SOURCE CooperVision, Inc.

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