Myopia control with soft multifocal contact lenses: 18-month follow-up

PURPOSE: The study aimed to establish the outcome of multifocal contact lenses (MFCL) (Multistage + 1.50D and Proclear + 3.00D) on myopia progression and axial length elongation over an 18-month period. METHODS: Thirty myopic schoolchildren (5 males and 25 females) aged between 13 and 15 years were randomly assigned to wear either single vision contact lens (SVCL), Multistage MFCL + 1.50D, or Proclear +3.00D MFCL for 1½ years using a double-masked design. Cycloplegic refraction, corneal curvature, and axial length were measured. RESULTS: Myopia progression was controlled by 38.6% and 66.6% in children wearing Multistage + 1.50D and Proclear +3.00D MFCL, respectively, in comparison to children wearing SVCL over an 18-month period. In terms of axial elongation, this study found a 31.1% and 63.2% control in axial elongation over 18 months of treatment in comparison to the SVCL group. No statistical significant difference in corneal curvature was found between initial and last visits for all the three groups (SVCL, P = 0.90; Multistage + 1.50 MFCL, P = 0.78, and Proclear + 3.00 MFCL, P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Proclear +3.00D MFCL was revealed to cause slow development of myopia and axial elongation among myopic schoolchildren. MFCL with higher add powers could be more effective on myopia progression in comparison with moderate add powers.