Effect of low-addition soft contact lenses with decentered optical design on myopia progression in children: a pilot study

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of low-addition soft contact lenses (CLs) with decentered optical design on the progression of myopia in children in a pilot study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-four Japanese children age 10–16 years with baseline myopia of −0.75 to −3.50 D sphere and ≤1.00 D cylinder were studied. The new CLs were designed to have a nasal decentration with the optical center centered on the line of sight, and with progressive-addition power of +0.5 D peripherally. Monofocal soft CLs were used as controls. A pair of new CLs or control CLs was randomly assigned to the children, and they wore the lenses for 12 months during the first phase. Then, the type of CLs was changed, ie, a crossover design, and the children were observed for another 12 months during the second phase. The end points were changes in axial length and refractive error (spherical equivalent) under cycloplegia. RESULTS: The change of axial length in the new-CL and control-CL groups was not different between 12 months and baseline, the change of axial length between 12 months and 1 month in the new-CL group (0.09±0.08 mm) was significantly smaller (47%) than that in the control-CL group (0.17±0.08 mm, P<0.05). During the same period, the change of refractive error in the new-CL group was not significantly different from that in the control group. Neither the change in axial length nor refractive error in the new-CL group was significantly different from those in the control-CL group in the second phase. CONCLUSION: This pilot study suggests that low-addition soft CLs with decentered optical design can reduce the degree of axial elongation in myopic children after an initial transient phase of CL wear. The reduction of the progression of myopia by low-addition soft CLs warrants further investigations.