An award-winning Australian optometrist is sharing his knowledge with colleagues to advance myopia care and management.
Mr Daniel Wong, the managing optometrist at OPSM Castle Towers in northwest Sydney, is an advocate for myopia control and a recognised EssilorLuxottica Myopia Leader.
This role has provided him with the platform to promote myopia care on a broader scale among both colleagues and patients, which has helped to earn him the prestigious title of EssilorLuxottica Optometrist of the Year for NSW/ACT in both 2023 and 2024.
He is also a Values Ambassador for EssilorLuxottica, promoting “We are passionate, turning inspiration into impact”.
He believes that optometrists have a “unique opportunity to create a lifelong positive impact for young myopic patients by offering every available myopia control treatment and addressing the risks of high myopia on vision and eye health”.
“With accessible and effective solutions like Stellest [myopia control spectacle lenses], all optometrists can embrace myopia control to make a difference for children across the country,” he says.
Wong recognises EssilorLuxottica’s “significant investment” in advancing patient care through the rollout of OCTs across Australia and New Zealand, providing more children with access to biometry and axial length measurements.
“My journey in myopia management began over a decade ago, building a loyal, long-term following of young myopic patients.”
Today, the practice where he works provides a comprehensive range of myopia control treatments and tools, including orthokeratology (orthoK), Stellest, MiSight soft contact lenses, low-dose atropine, and biometry to measure axial length.
He has also hosted optometrists and optometry students in-store to learn about orthoK fitting, and co-created and presented an orthoK webinar through EssilorLuxottica’s Leonardo learning platform.
He did that to “cultivate a collaborative environment and encourage the exchange of knowledge and best-practice myopia care”.
In collaboration with CooperVision, Wong and the myopia leaders have benefitted from insightful talks by Australian myopia authorities Ms Kate Gifford and Mr Rohan Hughes, which he found invaluable for keeping his myopia knowledge current.
As part of the program, he has also contributed to the development of information packs, consent forms and educational materials for both patients and practitioners, particularly focused on Essilor Stellest and orthoK, and boosting awareness and adoption of these treatment options.
Additionally, he has filmed internal video interviews promoting the Stellest lens and shared strategies for addressing parental concerns and overcoming barriers to myopia control.
Wong has shared his experience as a myopia leader and presented myopia case studies at the EssilorLuxottica Eyecare Roadshow, as well as discussing the Stellest lens and additional case studies at a local Myopia Leaders CPD event in Castle Hill.
“I’ve also gained valuable insights by attending the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania conference in 2023 and the International Cornea and Contact Lens Congress in 2024, both sponsored by CooperVision as part of the myopia leaders program,” he says.
In addition, Wong was awarded a scholarship from EssilorLuxottica to attend the Myopia Progression in Children conference in 2023, which he said had helped him to “further enhance his practice and share his knowledge across a wider network”.
Wong believes this has helped him have a “profound impact on his patients but also inspired and educated my peers, driving the advancement of myopia management practices”.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a myopia leader, which allows me to play a key role in addressing myopia progression and delivering the highest standard of patient care.”
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