Myopia management and presbyopia correction at the BCLA

Two issues at opposing ends of the age spectrum currently preoccupy the contact lens industry: the potential for contact lenses to stem the explosion in childhood myopia and how to halt the steep decline in contact lens use with age.

No surprise then that these were prominent topics at this year’s BCLA conference. With up to six parallel tracks on the new three-day programme, focusing on these two key streams seemed like a good strategy for surviving a packed weekend (May 29-30).

The myopia management session running throughout the opening day attempted to reach a consensus on the current status of anti-myopia strategies. Dublin ophthalmologist Ian Flitcroft described the rising prevalence of myopia around the world as ‘a public heath time bomb’. Doing nothing was no longer an option, he said.