The past year has been one for the books for many reasons. From a company perspective, we’ve reached many milestones regarding myopia management and our Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program featuring MiSight® 1 day*. Myopia management has entered the mainstream with a clinically proven1† product and 3,000 ECPs have become certified Brilliant Futures™ prescribers helping more and more patients with each passing day. In August 2020, CooperVision launched a multichannel, direct-to-consumer advertising campaign featuring television actress, producer, and entrepreneur Sarah Michelle Gellar. Believed to be the world’s largest-ever consumer myopia management awareness initiative, its educational messages have generated more than 1.1 billion impressions to date and driven consumers into certified eye care professionals’ offices.
We’ve since opened certification to all ECPs throughout the nation, and even just recently opened certification to third- and fourth-year optometry students. With so many more ECPs poised to take on certification – and myopia management – we know there are undoubtedly many questions. That’s why we’ve welcomed three certified ECPs to share their experiences and insights with booth visitors during SECO.
Stop by our booth #835 on April 30 and May 1 to hear answers to questions about setting up a myopia management practice, training staff to support the program, starting the myopia management conversation with parents, overcoming potential parent objections, and more.
Check out the schedule below. Our experts can’t wait to discuss their experiences with prescribing MiSight® 1 day to age-appropriate patients with you!
- Friday, April 30
- 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 2:15 – Dr. Brie Hevesy
- 4:15 – 5:00 p.m. – Dr. Christi Locke
- Saturday, May 1
- 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. – Dr. Inna Lazar
Want to know more about our experts? Check out their bios below!
Dr. Brie Hevesy from Acworth Family Eyecare (Acworth, GA)
Number of patients enrolled in Brilliant Futures: 11
Dr. Hevesy is originally from Kansas and attended Purdue University for her undergraduate degree in Biology. She went on to obtain her Doctor of Optometry from The Ohio State University College of Optometry. While at Ohio State, she worked closely with Dr. Gary Andrasko who developed the staining grid showing the effects of contact lens solutions with various contact lenses. Through her internships including one at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Hospital, she has gained knowledge in glaucoma, cataracts, and contact lenses, myopia management. While practicing in Georgia, Dr. Hevesy has enjoyed the opportunity to help patients achieve their vision goals all the way from post-op LASIK to dry eye therapy to glaucoma among all other vision conditions. Dr. Hevesy is looking forward to treating patients of all ages from grandchildren to grandparents. Dr. Hevesy is an active member of Georgia Optometric Association and American Optometric Association. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls and participating in endurance activities including running, cycling, swimming, and hiking.
Dr. Christina Locke from Thomas Eye (Atlanta, GA)
Number of patients enrolled in Brilliant Futures: 6
Dr. Locke is a Board-licensed comprehensive optometrist with a special interest in pediatric eye care. Dr. Locke offers a range of services including comprehensive eye exams and treatment of various ocular conditions such as dry eye disease, eye infections, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease. She completed a residency in pediatrics and ocular disease at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she received additional experience managing conditions such as strabismus, amblyopia, uveitis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and cerebral visual impairment (CVI). In addition to prescribing glasses, Dr. Locke has experience fitting pediatric contact lenses for the management of progressive myopia (nearsightedness), error, aphakia, and corneal irregularities. Dr. Locke completed her optometry education at The Ohio State University and earned a dual OD/MS degree. Her Master’s research focused on understanding how the eyes of myopic children grow by studying the cells of the retina. Dr. Locke was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. She enjoys the hot Georgia summers, running, hiking, yoga, and harvesting fruits and veggies from her garden.
Dr. Inna Lazar from Greenwich Eye Care (Greenwich, CT)
Number of patients enrolled in Brilliant Futures: 12
Dr. Lazar obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and her Doctor of Optometry Degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry now known as Salus University. Dr. Lazar’s clinical training includes diagnosis and management of ocular diseases, specialty contact lens fittings, pediatric and geriatric eye exams as well as comprehensive primary eye care. She received her training at numerous hospitals throughout the United States including The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, the Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia, Ophthalmic Consultants of Connecticut in Fairfield and Kay, Tabas & Niknam Ophthalmology Associates in Philadelphia. She is a member of the American Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry as well as Connecticut Optometric Association. Dr. Lazar is also able to perform a comprehensive eye exam in multiple languages including Ukrainian and Russian. Dr. Lazar especially enjoys working with children and has participated in the volunteer Head Start program, providing initial screenings and eye exams to the children in Philadelphia. During her free time, Dr. Lazar enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her family and friends. She is a true food enthusiast and loves to try and cook different cuisines. To stay active, she plays tennis and was on a college tennis team.
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*MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to 4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
†Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.
[1]Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-67.
