The WHO-ITU MyopiaEd Programme: A Digital Message Programme Targeting Education on Myopia and Its Prevention

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the World Health Organization - International Telecommunication Union MyopiaEd programme - a digital message programme targeting education on myopia and its prevention. The development of the MyopiaEd programme included 4 key steps: (1) Conceptualization and consultation with experts in the field of myopia, mHealth and health behavior change; (2) Creation of SMS message libraries and programme algorithm; (3) Review of the message libraries to ensure relevance to the target audience; and (4) Pre-testing amongst end-user groups to ensure that the design of the programme and the message content were understandable. After reviewing the available evidence and considering input of the experts, the aims, end users and key themes of the programme were finalized. Separate SMS-adapted message libraries were developed, reviewed and pre-tested for four target end-user groups; (1) general population involved in the care of children (2) parents or caregivers of children with myopia; (3) adolescents with myopia; and (4) adults with myopia. The message libraries are part of a comprehensive toolkit, developed through a consultative process with experts in digital health, to support implementation within countries. The development of the MyopiaEd programme aims to provide a basis for Member States and other stakeholders to develop, implement and monitor large-scale mHealth programmes. It is aimed at raising awareness of good eye care behaviors and addressing common reasons for non-compliance to spectacle wear. The next steps will involve adapting and evaluating the MyopiaEd programme in selected settings.

TikTok and adolescent vision health: Content and information quality assessment of the top short videos related to myopia

“…Education on myopia and appropriate management of children have been reported to encourage the execution of myopia control interventions by eye care practitioners and parents ( 8 ). Recognizing the important role of education in myopia management, the World Health Organization conducted myopia education programs worldwide to facilitate the dissemination of high-quality myopia education and information regarding prevention across countries ( 9 ). Nevertheless, a social media platform with high acceptance is urgently required to deliver evidence-based information to the public, especially to adolescents.…”

Implementing a digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategy for children and adolescents in China: a cost-effectiveness analysis

“…On the one head, a web-based program strengthens the horizontal connections between all social parties, reduces personnel, time and cost consumption, and improves utilization of services; on the other hand, digital management modes and online refractive development archives facilitate automated and vertical accumulation, evidence-based updating, dynamic analysis and risk warning of large-scale data to enable personalized myopic treatment and management, and the new myopia prevention and control strategy combining Internet of Things and blockchain technology will further increase the security, portability and transparency of data transmission and sharing. 11 , 31 , 32 For example, China's digital school-based myopia management pilot program which covers millions of students, realizes automated information collection, intelligent analysis and online access, and reduces labor and time costs by 90% compared with traditional screening. 31 We also concluded that implementing network-based myopia management strategies in both urban and rural areas was economically attractive, which facilitates the promotion of this modern, practical and low-cost paradigm in China.…”

“…A large number of studies have evaluated the clinical effectiveness of health education, vision screening, outdoor activities and various intervention methods in the field of myopia prevention and control, and digital medicine is also playing an increasingly important role in myopia prevention and control. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 Various digital healthcare technologies have been widely used in school-based screening covering millions of children and adolescents, health education, behavior change and risk warning. Successful pilot projects also provide a further evaluation of their effects.…”

2022 Glenn A. Fry Award lecture: Enhancing clinical assessment for improved ophthalmic management

“…3). Through being appointed the International Myopia Institute Chief Scientific officer, white papers have been published on a range of key aspects of evidence-based myopia understanding such as best practice for designing clinical trials, 273 the role of binocular vision, 274 public health initiatives, 275,276 and clinical guidelines 277,278 and digests updating previous white papers. [279][280][281]…”