Editor's Letter

For kids, the last 15 months have been, to say the least, challenging.

On the academic front, our 11-year-old daughter has ping-ponged from fully remote online learning to blended learning (two days a week in school) and back to fully remote then to almost-full-time learning four days a week in school to quarantined for a positive case in her cohort (with negative rapid and PCR tests) and then back in school with rapid tests administered weekly for the entire school population. All while wearing a mask all day in school and socially distancing from friends and teachers. Healthy, community-minded, lifesaving measures but incredibly challenging on today’s kids nonetheless.

I am eternally grateful to our teachers, who buckled down and stepped up in ways previously unthinkable to deliver a solid year of education and growth. And, to our daughter, who dug deep—like millions of other children across the country—to navigate change, challenge, and uncertainty.

Grit: noun courage and resolve; strength of character.

For kids, the pandemic has ushered in skyrocketing screen time (and resulting myopia), before-unseen isolation, and even mental health issues. According to the CDC, mental health-related pediatric emergency room visits increased 24% for kids aged 5-11 and 31% for those 12-17 during the pandemic. As the pandemic begins to retreat in the U.S., and kids 12-plus now have access to vaccination, the dawn breaks with hope on the horizon for children. In this issue, we celebrate their pure bravery, grit, and perseverance with a roundup of kid-focused, strategies-packed content.

Turn to page 40 for The Return. of. Joy. kids eyewear fashion feature where we herald a return to joy with eight happy, colorful eyewear trends.

Head to page 54 for our Kaboom! feature where we explore the explosive growth of myopia management products, programs, and patients.

And, don’t miss our Got the Blues? kids’ plano blue light eyewear roundup on page 32. Fact: 70% of eyecare providers report increased blue light glasses sales over the past year.

There is so much more, too, in our pages to follow—we hope you enjoy the issue!