At the 2025 meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, Shelby Johnson, OD, MPH, FAAO, presented on the societal burdens of myopia. Here she discusses key takeaways.

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Hi, my name is Shelby Johnson. At Academy 2025 in Boston, the Myopia Management and ¡Salud! Latinx/ Hispanic/Chicanx SIGs teamed up for a symposium titled "Addressing the Impact of Myopia Management Strategies and Access to Care in the United States."

Dr. Kovin Naidoo spoke about the rising prevalence of myopia and its associated societal burdens, such as its impact on mental health, quality of life, and children's learning and development. He emphasized the financial implications, including the economic burden of visual impairment due to high myopia, as well as the lifetime costs of untreated myopia compared to the costs of early, progressive myopia treatment in childhood.

Dr. Kevin Chan discussed the application of myopia management in the United States. He pointed out that despite global awareness of the benefits of treatment, doctors in the United States still face several obstacles—such as a lack of education on the topic and limited access to proper equipment. Furthermore, underserved populations are even more vulnerable due to a shortage of providers.

Dr. Melissa Contreras concluded the session by examining vision care utilization and the barriers children face in receiving care. She offered actionable recommendations to improve access to myopia care in the United States, including raising public awareness through educational campaigns, advocating for insurance coverage of myopia management, and conducting further research within diverse populations to support data-driven policymaking.

Overall, the goal of this discussion was to help close the access gap and mitigate the long-term impacts of myopia in communities across the United States. OM