Let's Talk About Myopia: Literature Review and Stakeholder Survey to Develop a Roadmap for Advocacy

Myopia (short-sightedness) in children is a public health concern, as prevalence and severity are rising. By 2050, half the world population may have myopia, with a fifth at risk of uncorrectable sight-loss. Effective treatments to slow the worsening of myopia are not publicly funded. Here we aimed to complete the first 2 of these stages of designing an effective myopia advocacy campaign, that is, issue identification and research/analysis. We carried out a literature review on myopia/eye care advocacy campaigns and an online key stakeholder survey with exploratory open-ended questions distributed to a convenience sample of 30 individuals known from previous informal discussions, including parents, a young adult, facilitators/representatives of UK and European myopia patient advocacy groups/charities, professional organizations and industry. We extracted data from included publications into a prespecified table and used thematic analysis to summarize survey responses. The main issues identified are perceived lack of public/professional awareness, complications and interventions, and public funding. The most important rationales for eye-healthy behavior and interventions are: short/medium-term improvement in quality of life linked to lower levels of short-sightedness, and long-term reduction of risk of sight-threatening complications and healthcare costs. A myopia advocacy campaign should increase public/professional awareness, provide education and information for eye/healthcare practitioners, families, teachers and other professionals, lead to public funding, and promote collaborations between stakeholders to enable funding for appropriate interventions.