Younger kids’ eyes grow faster in first year of ortho-K, supporting early intervention
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Key takeaways:
- Researchers analyzed 102 eyes of children aged 5 to 18 years after 1 year of orthokeratology lens wear.
- Younger patients were more likely to experience faster elongation than older patients.
Axial length changes were more significant in younger vs. older children during their first year of orthokeratology contact lens wear, highlighting the importance of initiating treatment as early as possible, according to a study.
“This study supports that factors influencing axial length and the magnitude of axial elongation observed in clinic-based patients using overnight orthokeratology lenses are comparable to those seen in myopia control trials,” Michelle Holmes, OD, from Century Eye Care Medical Center, and colleagues wrote in Optometry and Vision Science. “In addition, the axial elongation was observed to be negatively correlated with age and not significantly associated with race, sex, baseline axial length or refractive error.”
In a retrospective case series, researchers analyzed 102 eyes of children aged 5 to 18 years for changes in axial length after 1 year of wearing ortho-K contact lenses. Patients were seen at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry Myopia Control Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, from August 2013 to January 2020.
The researchers reported that the average increase in axial length over the 12-month observational period was 0.18 ± 0.24 mm overall, with an increase of 0.16 ± 0.20 mm for girls and 0.21 ± 0.29 mm for boys. There was no significant difference in axial length change between ethnicities.
Holmes and colleagues reported a “highly significant” correlation between baseline age and change in axial length, with younger patients exhibiting faster elongation than older patients.
“Considering the strong age effect and the irreversible nature of axial elongation, orthokeratology treatment should be initiated as early as possible regardless of the initial level of myopia,” researchers wrote.
Editor's note: The headline of this article was updated Sept. 2, 2023.
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