Multifocal Contact Lens Myopia Control

• Published in: Optometry and vision science Vol. 90; no. 11; pp. 1207 - 1214
• Main Authors: Walline, Jeffrey J, Greiner, Katie L, McVey, M Elizabeth, Jones-Jordan, Lisa A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Academy of Optometry 01-11-2013
• Subjects: Adolescent; Axial Length, Eye - diagnostic imaging; Axial Length, Eye - physiopathology; Child; Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Male; Myopia - diagnostic imaging; Myopia - physiopathology; Myopia - prevention & control; Prosthesis Fitting; Refraction, Ocular - physiology; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 1040-5488; 1538-9235
• DOI: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000000036

PURPOSEPrevious studies on soft multifocal contact lens myopia control published in the peer-reviewed literature reported findings of noncommercial contact lenses worn for 1 year or less. This study sought to determine the progression of myopia and axial elongation of children fitted with commercially available distance center soft multifocal contact lenses for 2 years.
METHODSEight- to eleven-year-old children with −1.00 D to −6.00 D spherical component and less than 1.00 D astigmatism were fitted with soft multifocal contact lenses with a +2.00 D add (Proclear Multifocal “D”; CooperVision, Fairport, NY). They were age- and gender-matched to participants from a previous study who were fitted with single-vision contact lenses (1 Day Acuvue; Vistakon, Jacksonville, FL). A-scan ultrasound and cycloplegic autorefraction were performed at baseline, after 1 year, and after 2 years. Multilevel modeling was used to compare the rate of change of myopia and axial length between single-vision and soft multifocal contact lens wearers.
RESULTSForty participants were fitted with soft multifocal contact lenses, and 13 did not contribute complete data (5 contributed 1 year of data). The adjusted mean ± standard error spherical equivalent progression of myopia at 2 years was −1.03 ± 0.06 D for the single-vision contact lens wearers and −0.51 ± 0.06 for the soft multifocal contact lens wearers (p < 0.0001). The adjusted mean axial elongation was 0.41 ± 0.03 and 0.29 ± 0.03 for the single-vision and soft multifocal contact lens wearers, respectively (p < 0.0016).
CONCLUSIONSSoft multifocal contact lens wear resulted in a 50% reduction in the progression of myopia and a 29% reduction in axial elongation during the 2-year treatment period compared to a historical control group. Results from this and other investigations indicate a need for a long-term randomized clinical trial to investigate the potential for soft multifocal contact lens myopia control.