An Epidemic Impacting Millions of Children.
Myopia is a condition that results in blurry vision when looking at distant objects. Approximately 33% of the total population in the U.S. is nearsighted, and some Asian countries report that up to 80% of their children are nearsighted1. Myopia prevalence in individuals aged 12 – 54 years living in the US has increased by more than 60% between the early 1970’s through 2004 ‒ from 25% to nearly 42%2. While myopia is often considered to be an easily correctable refractive error, it is associated with an increased risk of serious ocular complications that can cause permanent vision loss3. The WHO defines “high myopia” as -5.00 Diopters (D) or greater, which is associated with an increased risk of blindness4. In 2000, an estimated 22.9% of the world’s population had myopia, with 2.7% having high myopia; these rates are increasing at an alarming rate. By 2050, it is projected that 9.8% of the global population ‒ approximately 1 billion people ‒ will have high myopia5.In the US alone, there are approximately 25 million children with myopia, with ~5 million considered to be at risk for high myopia and many times more than that number in Asia5,7.
1. Vongphanit, J., Mitchell, P., & Wang, J. J. (2002). Prevalence and progression of myopic retinopathy in an older population. Ophthalmology, 109(4), 704-711.
2. Ogawa, A., & Tanaka, M. (1988). The relationship between refractive errors and retinal detachment–analysis of 1,166 retinal detachment cases. Japanese journal of ophthalmology, 32(3), 310-315.
3. Lim, R., Mitchell, P., & Cumming, R. G. (1999). Refractive associations with cataract: the blue mountains eye study. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 40(12), 3021-3026.
4. Mitchell, P., Houriha4. n, F., Sandbach, J., & Wang, J. J. (1999). The relationship between glaucoma and myopia: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Ophthalmology, 106(10), 2010-2015.
5. Theophanous, Christos et al. “Myopia prevalence and risk factors in children.” Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 12 1581-1587. 29 Aug. 2018, doi:10.2147/OPTH.S164641
6. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2019.
7. Chia, Audrey, et al. “Five-Year Clinical Trial on Atropine for the Treatment of Myopia” Ophthalmology, vol. 123, no. 2, 2016, pp. 391–399., doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.07.004.
Current Treatment Options.
Current treatment options for pediatric myopia include bifocal/multifocal glasses and contact lenses, ortho-k contact lenses, and non-FDA-approved atropine eyedrops. Atropine eyedrops have been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children7. Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications for pediatric myopia.
7. Chia, Audrey, et al. “Five-Year Clinical Trial on Atropine for the Treatment of Myopia” Ophthalmology, vol. 123, no. 2, 2016, pp. 391–399., doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.07.004.
Eyenovia Innovation.
MicroPine™ is our proprietary drug-device combination of atropine used in our Optejet® dispenser and our product candidate for the reduction of progressive myopia in children.
We believe the Optejet’s ease of use and appropriate dose is particularly well-suited for children, potentially enabling easy self-administration of atropine medication while minimizing dose-related side effects. Optejet’s remote therapeutic monitoring service, Optecare™, could help physicians and parents ensure their children are getting the medication they need.