Contact lens slows myopia progression in 3-year study

Issue: July 2017

Three-year data from CooperVision suggests that a new contact lens therapy substantially slows myopia progression and eye elongation in children as measured by refractive error and axial length at the 3-year mark.

CooperVision senior manager of clinical research Paul Chamberlain, BSc(Hons), presented the study results at the British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference in Liverpool, England.

According to a press release from the company, the clinical trial assessed a specially designed, dual-focus myopia control 1-day soft contact lens to reduce the rate of progression of juvenile-onset myopia in a prospective, multicenter, randomized multiyear study with 144 myopic children, 8 to 12 years old, from Singapore, Canada, England and Portugal. The lens contained alternating visual correction and treatment zones.

At 3 years, the use of the dual-focus contact lens was effective in slowing myopia progression 59% as measured by mean cycloplegic spherical equivalent and 52% as measured by mean axial elongation of the eye when compared to the children in the control group wearing a single vision contact lens.

“Early intervention by parents, in partnership with eye care professionals, is essential to the near- and long-term health and well-being of their children,” according to Arthur Back, BOptom, PhD, FAAO, chief technology officer, CooperVision, in the release. “The CooperVision MiSight dual-focus 1-day lens used in this study provides a new, effective and repeatable approach.”

Parents of the study participants also had a positive response, noting their children could mostly manage their lens wear independently. Nine out of 10 parents rated their children “extremely happy” with the overall experience of wearing contact lenses.

In a statement to Primary Care Optometry News, CooperVision did not speculate on an approval timeline, but the company said it remains committed to working with the FDA. – by Abigail Sutton