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IMI at the 2022 Siberian Myopia Conference

January 12, 2023

Provided by Prof. Irina Smirnova MD, PhD
Director of the Siberian Ophthalmological Center “Glazka”, Head of the Siberian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmologists
IMI Russia Ambassador

On November 19, 2022, the II Siberian Myopia Conference was held in Novosibirsk (Russia) in an offline format with an online broadcast. More than 300 specialists registered for it, and the large hall of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel was crowded. The conference was watched in 90 cities of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan. It was attended by 20 leading speakers from Russia and abroad. A representative exhibition of well-known optical and pharmaceutical companies was also launched.

The topics of the conference were diverse – from the prevalence of myopia to control methods, from pharmacological interventions to myopia surgery. During the opening ceremony, the head of the Siberian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmologists, Ambassador of the International Myopia Institute Irina Smirnova outlined the goals of the conference: “The problem of myopia is multifaceted, so we must consider it comprehensively, without avoiding controversial and unresolved issues, and take a more active position on the introduction of methods of  myopia control.”

The success of the conference was facilitated by the participation of leading specialists of the International Myopia Institute. Their video presentations were sent by Prof. S. Reznikov “Uncorrected Refrective Errors. Clobal responds to a Global issue”, Prof. Sankaridurg “Utility of axial length in myopia management” and Prof.  J. Wolffsohn “Global Attitudes Towards and Adoption of Myopia Control”.

Optical methods of myopia control have been presented in several reports. Ophthalmologist Natalia Sadova (Moscow) delivered the message “Control of myopia progression in children with MiSight 1 day lenses”. The issues of slowing the myopia progression in the treatment of lenses for MiYOSMART glasses were highlighted in the reports of Professor H. Kaymak (Dusseldorf).

A very interesting section on orthokeratology was held with the participation of the companies “Doctor Lens” and the SkyOptix Laboratory from Moscow. The speakers’ speeches confirmed that orthokeratology, as a method of controlling myopia, is successfully developing and improving, opening up new opportunities for stabilizing myopia in childhood.

The novelty of the conference was the section of young ophthalmologists who presented their presentations and posters on topics such as Premyopia, Myopia calculator, Customized ortho-lenses and Scleral lenses.

The conference also discussed the importance of correcting astigmatism in progressive myopia in children with soft toric lenses, the reserves and modern possibilities of refractive surgery of myopia, and much more.

The conference aroused great interest among specialists and received a positive and wide response. The Siberian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmologists is planning an annual conference and expresses deep gratitude for the support from the International Myopia Institute.

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