To learn more about Harbir Sian and the 20/20 Podcast, visit: https://aboutmyeyes.com/
Dr. Harbir Sian is an award-winning optometrist based in Vancouver, Canada. In The 20/20, Dr. Sian interviews guests from various backgrounds and industries to share their struggles and successes. Guests include business owners, entrepreneurs, world-class athletes, media personalities, medical professionals, and more.
Through conversations with these guests, Canada’s number 1 optometry podcast brings clarity to business, entrepreneurship, and eyecare. Dr. Sian also shares his personal experiences through his shorter Eye2Eye segment. In these short episodes, Dr. Sian opens up and provides a vulnerable look into the challenges he has faced (and overcome) in his personal and professional life.
The 20/20 Podcast gives you a look through different lenses and helps you focus on your growth.
What if we could slow childhood myopia progression without compromising visual clarity?
Myopia management continues to evolve, and SightGlass Vision’s innovative Diffusion Optics Technology (DOT) is offering optometrists a different approach to controlling childhood myopia.
In this episode of The 20/20 Podcast, Dr. Harbir Sian sits down with renowned myopia management expert Dr. Vishakha Thakrar to explore the science behind DOT lenses, how they differ from traditional peripheral defocus technology, and why the child’s visual experience should be a key consideration when selecting a myopia control treatment.
Drawing on five years of clinical experience with DOT lenses, Dr. Thakrar shares compelling patient cases, discusses the importance of visual acuity and comfort, and explains how MiSight Spectacles featuring DOT technology can fit into a comprehensive myopia management program.
The conversation also explores practical strategies for introducing new myopia control technology into an optometry practice, overcoming concerns about lens appearance, and creating a sustainable, patient-centred myopia management service.
Whether you’re just getting started with myopia management or looking to expand your treatment options, this episode offers valuable clinical insights and practical advice you can bring back to your practice.
3 Key Takeaways
1. A different approach to myopia control
Unlike traditional myopia control spectacles that use peripheral defocus, SightGlass Vision’s DOT lenses use contrast modulation and light-scattering technology to help slow myopia progression. Dr. Thakrar explains the science behind this approach and how it expands the treatment options available to optometrists.
2. Visual performance matters as much as treatment efficacy
Effective myopia management isn’t just about controlling axial elongation or refractive progression. Children need to see comfortably throughout their daily activities. Dr. Thakrar discusses research on visual acuity, reading performance, peripheral vision, and gaze independence, highlighting why practitioners should evaluate the child’s experience when prescribing myopia control spectacles.
3. Clinical success starts with patient education and practice-wide commitment
From demonstrating lenses to parents and children to training optical staff and structuring professional fees, successful myopia management requires more than selecting the right product. Dr. Thakrar shares practical strategies for improving patient acceptance, supporting long-term treatment adherence, and differentiating independent optometry practices.
About Dr. Vishakha Thakrar
Dr. Vishakha Thakrar is a residency-trained optometrist specializing in cornea and contact lenses, with more than 15 years of experience in myopia management. She operates a specialty optometry practice in Vaughan, Ontario, focusing on myopia control, specialty contact lenses, and dry eye management.
A respected speaker, author, and educator, Dr. Thakrar has extensive clinical experience with orthokeratology, soft contact lenses, atropine, and myopia control spectacle technologies. She is passionate about advancing myopia management and helping fellow optometrists integrate evidence-based treatments into their practices.
Connect with Dr. Thakrar:thakrarv@gmail.com
A special thank you to SightGlass Vision for supporting this episode of The 20/20 Podcast and helping advance the conversation around innovative myopia management solutions.
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