Durban, South Africa, 28 October 2016: A new report on myopia and high myopia, the result of a joint World Health Organization (WHO) and Brien Holden Vision Institute meeting, has just been announced in Durban, South Africa, at the 10th General Assembly of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Dr Silvio Mariotti, from Blindness Prevention and Deafness at WHO, presented the report during a special myopia session at the conference.
‘The Impact of Myopia and High Myopia’ report captures the evidence presented during the meeting on the magnitude of myopia, vision impairment and blindness in myopia, terminology and classification, pathological consequences, the impact on society, aetiology, risk factors, and evidence for myopia control. It also identifies gaps in current knowledge, and makes recommendations to address the gaps with the aim to better inform clinical practice and public health policy.
The meeting held in Sydney, Australia, in March 2015, was an initiative of the then Australian Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton MP. Experts in myopia representing each WHO region attended and contributed to the final report. The meeting was chaired by the late Professor Brien Holden (Brien Holden Vision Institute), Professor Serge Resnikoff, Dr Ivo Kocur (WHO) and Dr Marriotti (WHO).
Report of the Joint World Health Organization–Brien Holden Vision Institute Global Scientific Meeting on Myopia. Download below.
