Abstract
Purpose:
To establish whether axial growth and refractive error can be modulated in hyperopic children by imposing relative peripheral hyperopic defocus using multifocal soft contact lenses.
Methods:
A prospective controlled study with hyperopic participants allocated to a control or test group. Control group participants were corrected with single vision spectacles and changes to axial length and refractive error were followed for 3 years. For the test group, axial growth and post-cycloplegic refractive error were observed with participants wearing single vision spectacles for the first 6 months of the trial and then corrected with centre-near multifocal soft contact lenses with a 2.00 D add for 2 years. The central ‘near’ portion of the contact lens corrected distance refractive error while the ‘distance’ portion imposed hyperopic defocus. Participants reverted to single vision spectacles for the final 6 months of the study.
Results:
Twenty-two participants, mean age 11.13 years (SD 1.72) (range 8.33-13.92), completed the trial. Axial length did not change during the first 6 months in either group (P = 1.000). Axial growth across the 2-year intervention period was 0.17 mm (SEM 0.04) (P < 0.0005) in the test group versus 0.06 mm (SEM 0.07) (P = 0.677) in the control group. Axial length was invariant during the final 6 months in either group (P = 1.000). Refractive error was stable during the first 6 months in both groups (P = 1.000). Refractive error change across the 2-year intervention period was -0.26 D (SEM 0.14) (P = 0.375) in the test group versus -0.01 D (SEM 0.09) (P = 1.000) in the control group. Neither the test (P=1.000) nor control (P=0.628) group demonstrated a change in refractive error during the final 6 months.
Conclusions:
The rate of axial growth can be accelerated in children with hyperopia using centre-near multifocal soft contact lenses.
To establish whether axial growth and refractive error can be modulated in hyperopic children by imposing relative peripheral hyperopic defocus using multifocal soft contact lenses.
Methods:
A prospective controlled study with hyperopic participants allocated to a control or test group. Control group participants were corrected with single vision spectacles and changes to axial length and refractive error were followed for 3 years. For the test group, axial growth and post-cycloplegic refractive error were observed with participants wearing single vision spectacles for the first 6 months of the trial and then corrected with centre-near multifocal soft contact lenses with a 2.00 D add for 2 years. The central ‘near’ portion of the contact lens corrected distance refractive error while the ‘distance’ portion imposed hyperopic defocus. Participants reverted to single vision spectacles for the final 6 months of the study.
Results:
Twenty-two participants, mean age 11.13 years (SD 1.72) (range 8.33-13.92), completed the trial. Axial length did not change during the first 6 months in either group (P = 1.000). Axial growth across the 2-year intervention period was 0.17 mm (SEM 0.04) (P < 0.0005) in the test group versus 0.06 mm (SEM 0.07) (P = 0.677) in the control group. Axial length was invariant during the final 6 months in either group (P = 1.000). Refractive error was stable during the first 6 months in both groups (P = 1.000). Refractive error change across the 2-year intervention period was -0.26 D (SEM 0.14) (P = 0.375) in the test group versus -0.01 D (SEM 0.09) (P = 1.000) in the control group. Neither the test (P=1.000) nor control (P=0.628) group demonstrated a change in refractive error during the final 6 months.
Conclusions:
The rate of axial growth can be accelerated in children with hyperopia using centre-near multifocal soft contact lenses.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 534-544 |
| Journal | Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 21 Feb 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
(c) 2022, The Authors. Opthalmic and Physiological Optics published by John Wiley & Sones Ltd. on behalf of College of Optometrists. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The research of author IB was funded by a Postgraduate Scholarship from The College of Optometrists.
Keywords
- axial growth
- contact lenses
- hyperopia
- peripheral defocus
- refractive error