Plano, a Singapore-based eye wellness app developer, has teamed up with US-based myopia education platform Review of Myopia Management with the aim of providing the latest in educational content for eye care professionals around the world. Both organisations hope to expand their current platforms and engage with the growing myopia management community globally. 

WHY IT MATTERS

According to Plano, the partnership specifically aims to provide content about various "public health, economic, and clinical considerations related to myopia", intending to "enrich eye healthcare providers’ understanding of the condition". These will be published in RMM’s online portal, which was launched in March 2019.

“This new content partnership will enhance our mission to educate and motivate [eye care professionals] to become proactive in aggressively managing childhood myopia," said RMM Chief Medical Editor Dwight Akerman in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the World Health Organization, in about 1.9 billion people with myopia in 2010, half of them lived in East Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. By 2050, the condition is expected to affect nearly 5 billion people.

Myopia control or management has shown to reduce its progression by up to 78%.

THE LARGER TREND

Plano has been engaging in strategic partnerships to position itself as a digital leader in myopia management. Recently, it joined forces with Thomson X, a unit of SGX-listed Thomson Medical Group, to provide artificial intelligence-backed eye care solutions to the latter’s patients. Aside from parents and children, this partnership also intends to help e-sports players who have been exposed to electronic devices for prolonged periods.

ON THE RECORD

"To solve the global issue of myopia, a coordinated and comprehensive approach is needed, where specifically tailored education and awareness models play a central role," said Mo Dirani, founding managing director of Plano.