APSPOS breakfast symposium: Dr Loren Rose, Sephora Miao, Carl James, Amy Pillay and Dr Kate Gifford

At the 2025 APSPOS breakfast symposium, eyecare professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered to explore one of paediatric eyecare’s most pressing topics – managing the progression of myopia. With prevalence expected to rise significantly in the coming decades, the session highlighted the need for early intervention, evidence-based strategies and stronger collaboration across eyecare disciplines. 

Titled ‘Navigating myopia progression, a collaborative approach to curbing the myopia epidemic’ the session reflected the growing focus on clinically guided management approaches. Led by two internationally renowned professionals in this field – ophthalmologist Dr Loren Rose and optometrist Dr Kate Gifford – the symposium provided insights into the detection, diagnosis and management of myopia and pre-myopia in paediatric patients from both optometry and ophthalmology perspectives. 

The session opened with an in-depth exploration of the epidemiology of myopia and the key factors driving its global surge. Dr Rose then outlined some of the red flags clinicians should be alert to, including high myopia in children under 10 years old, poor aided visual acuity, parental myopia and associated systemic conditions, such as syndromes, hearing loss, retinal detachment and cardiac problems. 

Dr Rose also emphasised the importance of selecting treatments grounded in solid clinical evidence, presenting results from the Essilor Stellest six-year study.  

Building on this, Dr Gifford outlined the global guidelines for myopia management. She detailed key risk factors for pre-myopia and shared emerging evidence behind treatment options, including Stellest Plano and recent one-year study results. Her presentation reinforced the need for early risk identification and proactive management. 

With a rapidly expanding range of myopia control options, it is important to choose interventions supported by long-term, peer-reviewed studies.  

Dr Gifford’s and Dr Rose's presentations included some key clinical pearls, including:  

• Incorporating risk assessments for myopia and pre-myopia into every routine paediatric eye exam, even in asymptomatic children
• Educating families on the importance of regular outdoor activity and healthy visual habits from an early age
• Establishing clear follow-up protocols that include axial length monitoring and cycloplegic refraction, where feasible 
• Considering combination therapy when monotherapy does not deliver sufficient results.  

The session’s strong representation from both optometry and ophthalmology underscored the momentum behind shared care and the growing recognition that tackling childhood myopia is a collective responsibility. As the conversation about myopia evolves from simply correcting vision to preventing its progression, the symposium highlighted how research, collaborative care and consistent messaging to families can come together to deliver better long-term outcomes for children. 

Amy Pillay is professional affairs manager ANZ for EssilorLuxottica, a Premier Sponsor of APSPOS.