Promising new generation of contact lenses for myopia control

An international team of researchers tested a contact lens that may reduce the progress of nearsightedness, or myopia, by fully correcting the central vision but reducing the relative peripheral farsightedness, or hyperopia.

The study, presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology this week, studied 100 myopic Chinese children, ages 7-14. Test subjects were provided contact lenses with the modified corrections.

After six months, the children with the special lenses showed 54 percent less progression of myopia than control subjects.

According to the researchers, "Longer experience with wear of such contact lenses is needed, however the data are promising with regard to a new generation of contact lenses aimed at myopia control."

SOURCE Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)