Welcome back to Myopia News Monthly, our ongoing segment where we grab the biggest stories in myopia management and actually break them down — no jargon walls, no hype, just three people who love this stuff talking it through.
This month I’m joined by two of my favorite voices in the space. My regular co-host Dr. Andrew Brauer of the Eye Care Center of DuPage is back — the guy who genuinely lights up over power profiles and optic-zone geometry. And I’m thrilled to welcome back Tony Sommer, who you know from VTI and CooperVision, and who was just named CEO of Treehouse Eyes. We get his first take on where he wants to take the company, and then we dig in.
Here’s what we cover:
The AMA takes a stand on myopia. The American Medical Association adopted a resolution supporting comprehensive insurance coverage and reimbursement for evidence-based myopia treatments, and backing efforts to formally classify myopia as a disease through CMS. Huge symbolic win — but Andrew and Tony walk through why “the devil is in the details,” what fair reimbursement actually has to look like, and why this is likely a 5-to-10-year slog rather than an overnight change.
https://www.healio.com/news/optometry/20260708/ama-supports-insurance-coverage-for-myopia-treatment
When does the back optic zone actually matter? A new open-access study in Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy compares myopia-control efficacy and corneal power changes in kids wearing CRT vs. VST ortho-K lenses with smaller back optic zone diameters. This is the crunchy, design-nerd conversation Andrew lives for — the V-vs-U power profile, why treatment zone and back optic zone are NOT the same thing, and what all of it means for the clinician sitting chair-side with a real patient.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100026001493
Sydnexis gets a second shot. The FDA is convening an advisory committee to review the new drug application for SYD-101, the investigational low-dose atropine drop for pediatric progressive myopia — following the company’s appeal after a complete response letter, despite the Phase 3 STAR trial meeting its primary endpoints. We get into why the original decision felt so off, what the advisory committee needs to focus on, and whether an FDA-approved atropine really is the “Crest toothpaste moment” for myopia.
If you want the level of care conversation that goes with all of this — cash-pay vs. insurance, why ortho-K may still be the best option for most kids, and how to talk a nervous parent through their choices — it’s all in here.
Paid subscribers: don’t miss the bonus segment, where we get into Théa Life’s investigational oral therapy for myopia control (yes, oral) and what a brand-new mechanism of action could mean for the whole category.
CHAPTERS
0:00 — Intro: welcome, meet the panel, and Tony’s first word as CEO of Treehouse Eyes
4:56 — Story 1: The AMA resolution on myopia coverage & classifying myopia as a disease
20:18 — Story 2: New ortho-K study — back optic zone, treatment zone, and the V-vs-U profile
44:25 — Story 3: Sydnexis, SYD-101, and the FDA advisory committee do-over
58:05 — Outro: where to find our guests + how to support the show
If you got something out of this, consider becoming a subscriber to The Myopia Mindset. You’ll get the video version of the podcast, a weekly newsletter from Dr. Cary Herzberg — 40+ years in myopia management — a monthly subscriber Q&A (send us your questions!), and bonus segments like this month’s deep dive on oral myopia therapy.
It’s $12/month — basically a cup of coffee a week. Buy me that coffee and I’ll keep bringing on guests like Tony and Andrew to break down what’s actually happening in myopia management.
