{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T05:38:14Z","timestamp":1776836294660,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776816000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Ophthalmol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>The European Medicines Agency and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently approved the first commercial preparation of low-concentration atropine, Ryjunea, for use in children aged 3 years and older to slow the progression of myopia. Whilst optical approaches have been available for several years, the addition of a pharmacological option will increase the involvement of ophthalmologists in paediatric myopia management. However, little information is available about implementation strategies in different European countries. We conducted an electronic\/telephone survey with key opinion leaders in myopia management in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, France, Italy, and Spain. We complemented the survey with figures on population size reported by the World Bank and UNICEF, and workforce numbers reported by the International Council of Ophthalmology, the International Orthoptic Association, and national associations, where available. We collated data in categories reflecting the current provision of eye care for children and workforce availability. Prescribing rights for medicines, spectacles, and contact lenses for children, as well as workforce numbers, including paediatric ophthalmologists, optometrists, and orthoptists, vary significantly across European countries. In general, workforce numbers appear low compared with the number of children and young people in each country. Policies and implementation pathways for myopia management in children are required to ensure equitable access. European guidelines for training in myopia management and national pathways and standards of care should be developed and endorsed by professional organisations to enable children and young people at risk of myopia progression to access appropriate interventions in a timely and economical fashion.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fopht.2026.1812277","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T04:39:41Z","timestamp":1776832781000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Workforce challenges to implementation of myopia management in Europe: an electronic\/telephone expert survey"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Annegret","family":"Dahlmann-Noor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre","place":["London, United Kingdom"]},{"name":"Moorfields Eye Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust","place":["London, United Kingdom"]},{"name":"University College London Institute of Ophthalmology","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Line","family":"Kessel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen","place":["Copenhagen, Denmark"]},{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet","place":["Glostrup, Denmark"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wolf A.","family":"Lagr\u00e8ze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Freiburg, Klinik f\u00fcr Augenheilkunde","place":["Freiburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Susana","family":"Noval","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Paediatric Ophthalmology Department, Hospital Universitario La Paz","place":["Madrid, Spain"]},{"name":"Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Madrid","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jan Roelof","family":"Polling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Erasmus MC, University Medical Center","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edoardo","family":"Villani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Science and Community Health (DISCCO), University of Milan","place":["Milan, Italy"]},{"name":"Eye Clinic San Giuseppe Hospital, Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) (IRCCS) Multimedica","place":["Milan, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dominique","family":"Br\u00e9mond-Gignac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University Hospital Necker Enfants malades, APHP","place":["Paris, France"]},{"name":"INSERM, UMRS1138, T17, Sorbonne Paris Cit\u00ed University, Cordeliers Research Center","place":["Paris, France"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjo-2024-325427","article-title":"Global prevalence, trend and projection of myopia in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2050: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"109","author":"Liang","year":"2025"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/S40101-024-00354-7","article-title":"The influence of the environment and lifestyle on myopia","volume":"43","author":"Biswas","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Physiol Anthropol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaophthalmol.2016.4009","article-title":"Association of axial length with risk of uncorrectable visual impairment for europeans with myopia","volume":"134","author":"Tideman","year":"2016","journal-title":"JAMA Ophthalmol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD014758.PUB3\/MEDIA\/CDSR\/CD014758\/IMAGE_N\/NCD014758-FIG-03.PNG","article-title":"Interventions for myopia control in children: a living systematic review and network meta-analysis","volume":"2025","author":"Lawrenson","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1120672121998960","article-title":"Update and guidance on management of myopia. European Society of Ophthalmology in cooperation with International Myopia Institute","volume":"31","author":"N\u00e9meth","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur J Ophthalmol"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/11206721231219532","article-title":"Myopia management algorithm. Annexe to the article titled Update and guidance on management of myopia. European Society of Ophthalmology in cooperation with International Myopia Institute","volume":"34","author":"Tapaszt\u00f3","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur J Ophthalmol"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/OPO.13381","article-title":"2024 UK and Ireland modified Delphi consensus on myopia management in children and young people","volume":"44","author":"Dahlmann-Noor","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Physiol Opt"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/S41433-024-03010-7","article-title":"Variation in eye care professional distribution across Europe, a survey","volume":"38","author":"Arnould","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eye (Lond)"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/OPO.13019","article-title":"Will treating progressive myopia overwhelm the eye care workforce? A workforce modelling study","volume":"42","author":"Lingham","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Physiol Optics"},{"key":"B10","unstructured":"Ryjunea | European medicines agency (EMA)"},{"key":"B11","unstructured":"Santen Receives UK Approval for Ryjunea\u00ae (low-dose atropine 0.1 mg\/ml) to Slow Progression of Childhood Myopia | Santen"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-10-5251-4_103","article-title":"Thematic analysis","volume-title":"Handbook of research methods in health social sciences","author":"Braun","year":"2019"},{"key":"B13","unstructured":"Project information | Low-dose atropine eye drops for treating myopia in people 3 to 14 years [ID6517] | Guidance | NICE"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/J.LANEPE.2025.101319","article-title":"Prevalence of myopia in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 14 countries","volume":"54","author":"Moreira-Ros\u00e1rio","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Reg Health - Europe"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/CHILDREN12060771","article-title":"Child myopia prevalence in Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"12","author":"Ruiz-Pomeda","year":"2025","journal-title":"Children"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjph-2024-002307","article-title":"Trends in myopia prevalence and projected visual impairment in Western Europe: a pooled analysis of Dutch population-based cohorts (1900-2000)","volume":"3","author":"Kneepkens","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMJ Public Health"},{"key":"B17","unstructured":"Orthoptic workforce survey 2023 - data - British and Irish orthoptic society"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3928\/01913913-20240404-01","article-title":"The economic and workforce issues in pediatric ophthalmology and their effect on eye care","volume":"61","author":"Lavrich","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus"},{"key":"B19","unstructured":"Population estimates and projections | DataBank"},{"key":"B20","unstructured":"UNICEF DATA - child statistics"},{"key":"B21","unstructured":"Data on ophthalmologists worldwide - international council of ophthalmology"},{"key":"B22","unstructured":"Facing worforce shortages and backlogs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic: The 2022 census of the ophthalmology consultant, trainee and SAS workforce\n          \n          \n          \n          2023"},{"key":"B23","unstructured":"Europe: number of optometrists 2020 | Statista"},{"key":"B24","unstructured":"50 jahre BOD"},{"key":"B25","article-title":"De arbeidsmarkt voor orthoptisten","year":"2023"},{"key":"B26","unstructured":"dmof.dk"},{"key":"B27","unstructured":"Annuaire des orthoptistes de France - Pratique de l\u2019orthoptie"},{"key":"B28","unstructured":"AIOrAO | Associazione Italiana ortottisti assistenti in oftalmologia"},{"key":"B29","unstructured":"Diversity data: orthoptists - October 2023 |"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3179","DOI":"10.1007\/S11606-021-06737-1","article-title":"A consensus-based checklist for reporting of survey studies (CROSS)","volume":"36","author":"Sharma","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Gen Intern Med"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Ophthalmology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fopht.2026.1812277\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T04:39:53Z","timestamp":1776832793000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fopht.2026.1812277\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]]},"references-count":30,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fopht.2026.1812277"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fopht.2026.1812277","relation":{},"ISSN":["2674-0826"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2674-0826","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]]},"article-number":"1812277"}}