The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) has officially joined the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC), marking it as the 21st member of the industry coalition.
Refresh me on GMAC.
Launched in 2019, GMAC is an industry coalition of leading ophthalmic companies and eye health associations within the United States and United Kingdom focused on raising public awareness of childhood myopia as a treatable disease.
Click here to see its 2023 board members.
How does it operate?
In lieu of advocating for specific clinical approaches, the coalition targets direct-to-consumer communication channels by developing messaging campaigns with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other healthcare organizations,
Who are a few of its members?
Represented companies and organizations include:
- EssilorLuxottica
- Johnson & Johnson
- World Council of Optometry (WCO)
- CooperVision
- Vyluma
- The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
- Eyes On Eyecare
- American Academy of Optometry
- Alcon
- Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI)
- International Myopia Institute
- SynergEyes (now part of CooperCompanies)
See here for the complete list.
Gotcha. And the significance of CAO joining?
With the addition of CAO, GMAC has officially garnered a key stakeholder in North America by adding Canada to their ranks.
By reaching Canadian eyecare professionals (ECPs), it can enable the organization to expand and raise awareness as well as promoting action against pediatric myopia.
Go on …
According to GMAC Board Chair and Global Myopia Lead, Johnson and Johnson Vision Lisa McAlister, CAO's participation “will further drive collaborative action between organizations and individuals necessary to overcome this rapidly growing issue.”
She added: Bringing together GMAC and organized Canadian optometrists within CAO places us closer to overcoming the global myopia epidemic.
So what’s GMAC’s latest initiative?
The organization’s ongoing 2023 summer campaign is focused on:
- ECPs and healthcare professionals (HCPs) with educational resources on pediatric myopia to better guide in-office conversations with parents.
- Encouraging pediatric patients’ parents to develop their own ‘Sight Sanctuary,’ which builds on GMAC’s previous Tech Timeout campaign to reduce device usage, spend time outside, and encourage ECP discussions around therapy options and clinical interventions.