Theory into practice

You do not have to go far in contact lens practice, or indeed general optometry, in the UK these days without bumping into myopia management (or MM, the preferred term for myopia control these days). The concept inspires strong support from passionate enthusiasts, with wilder claims that the scourge of myopia is so significant that MM should be NHS funded and that practitioners who fail to offer or advise MM are potentially negligent and harming their patients.

There are, of course, solid reasons to be passionate about MM. Reducing the prevalence of high myopia with an intervention as commonplace as fitting contact lenses is to be thoroughly recommended.¹ That said, some parts of the scientific picture remain somewhat blurred and will only likely come into focus as time progresses. However, we now know enough to influence any decision not to do something where we might have some impact.