Getting Started Guide

Myopia management can seem very complicated, but it doesn't have to be. The key to successful management of any condition is effective communication.

The first step in myopia management is to understand which children are at risk and if a child is already myopic, what is their risk of progression? But how do you start to build a risk profile for a child? How do you begin to integrate these conversations and actions into daily practice? How do you build confidence when talking with parents about myopia management?

Here at Ocumetra, we have created mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge to help support you and your patients for shorter, simpler and more effective myopia management conversations.

We have listed some tips on how we achieved success with starting out in myopia management and how we began to incorporate mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge into practice, after all, we are also eyecare professionals.

Two mobile phones displaying Ocumetra tools

mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge have been created so that only a few key data points are required, so really, entering details is very simple and should only take 10-20 seconds of your time. Practice inserting patient details, either use a test patient or existing patient data to familiarize yourself with all features and data outputs. Begin to think about how you might communicate with parents and children, do you explain both eyes or only the more myopic eye? Do you communicate all features, or would it depend on each parent and child?

Taking a few moments to think about how you would communicate using these tools will build your confidence and ability to communicate effectively.

Don't forget that you have additional resources such as user guides and FAQ answers for both mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge to build your knowledge. All resources are created with your time in mind and take you through the functionality of the platform as well as the science that sits behind it. You can also always contact us at info@ocumetra.com.

When we are faced with new tasks, it can take time to adjust. In the beginning we may feel very clumsy, feel like we appear flustered or go down a rabbit hole with an explanation. Once we begin to do that task more often, we start to do it with more confidence, we talk about it in a clearer more succinct manner and with more impact. Think back to when you were a student and first explained a cataract to a patient, were you as confident as you are now, is your explanation today the same or is it more concise?

Using mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge is no different. Begin with friends and family members, if you feel a bit clumsy, you may feel less pressured to have the 'perfect' explanation first time with familiar faces. mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge will streamline and help you structure your conversations for maximum effect, whilst ensuring you are providing specific and relevant information in a parent friendly manner.

Book a half clinic day where you only see children, or a full day if you can. During this clinic use mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge with every child, regardless of how concerned you are with their myopia risk. This repetition is great for building your confidence using mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge so that when you identify a child at risk you feel more confident communicating with parents and improve the likelihood of a parent and patient initiating myopia management.

Screen your clinic or patient records for children who are already myopic and/or have a family history of myopia. These families tend to be more aware of the impact of myopia and having a conversation about myopia management using mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge may be more straight forward.

Start a conversation about myopia management with myopic adults, not for the purpose of managing their myopia but to normalize the conversation around management. Myopic adults are typically amazed that there are now management options available (and a little jealous), they usually have the same questions most parents have, giving you extra practice. They may also have very young children or grandchildren of their own, so you may even get a few new young patients.

Getting started isn't as difficult as you might think. mEYE™ Guide and mEYE™ Gauge will build upon your existing skills as an eyecare professional to help you adopt a personalized approach to myopia management. Making conversations shorter, simpler and more effective, let's get started!