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Bifocal spectacles may control myopic progression in children
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(1):12-19.
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Bifocal spectacles slowed myopic progression in children with an annual progression rate of 0.5 D or greater, according to a study.
"To date, there has been no consensus on what magnitude of myopic reduction constitutes a clinically significant control effect," the study authors said.
The randomized controlled clinical trial included 135 Chinese-Canadian children with myopia of at least 1 D and myopic progression of at least 0.5 D in the previous year. Mean patient age was 10.29 years.
The children were randomly assigned to receive single-vision distance lenses, bifocal lenses with +1.5 D near addition or prismatic bifocals with +1.5 D near add and a 3 ΔD base-in prism in the near segment of each lens.
Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 24 months; 131 children completed 24-month follow-up. Data from only right eyes were analyzed. The investigator was not masked.
Study data showed an average increase in myopia of 1.55 D in the single-vision lens group, 0.96 D in the bifocal lens group and 0.7 D in the prismatic bifocal lens group. Lens design correlated significantly with degree of myopic progression (P < .001).
The mean increase in axial length was 0.62 mm in the single-vision lens group, 0.41 mm in the bifocal lens group and 0.41 mm in the prismatic bifocal lens group. Lens design had a statistically significant correlation with increase in axial length (P = .001). Axial elongation was significantly lower in both bifocal groups than in the single-lens group (P < .001), the authors said.