Global and local collaboration required for efficient myopia management
Cross-border partnerships support myopia control in APAC.
Effective myopia management demands collaboration across borders and sectors, and initiatives like the Asia-Pacific Myopia Management Summit (APMMS) demonstrate this approach, according to Shila Gupta, Myopia Management General Manager at CooperVision Asia-Pacific.
“It’s a multi-pronged, multi-stakeholder issue, and we cannot solve it alone,” said Gupta.“We bring experts across the world together… and then we have a very in-depth local view about it afterwards.”
Increased awareness of myopia’s impact is driving investor interest in APAC. Gupta has observed a shift in hospitals and healthcare providers, particularly in Singapore, as they expand services with dedicated myopia clinics.
“There is a growing interest, because they see not only the burden of the disease, but a potential to treat patients and to build loyalty in their practice for myopia,” Gupta remarked. Major clinic chains and even ophthalmology clinics are exploring myopia-focused facilities, aiming to establish a “gold standard” in patient care.
“Not only the government, but even private investors, should acknowledge and realise the huge potential of myopia,” he said. Gupta sees these partnerships as essential for addressing myopia’s growing burden through both societal impact and profitable opportunities.