This retrospective study assessed the relationship between baseline axial length and subsequent elongation for myopes wearing orthokeratology lenses. The results showed axial elongation was slower over two years for younger children with longer baseline axial lengths. This may help in approaches to optimizing myopia control.
This editorial evaluated a range of single and multi-country clinical trials to examine the impact of race on treatment efficacy in myopia control. The authors found a similar slowing of axial elongation and myopia progression for East Asian and non-East Asian children across all studies.
Johnson & Johnson Vision’s intent to lead with science was on full show at the recent ARVO at New Orleans. We look at 5 abstracts they presented, providing you summaries and the abstracts on topics such as efficacy in myopia control, myopia calculators and subjective vision outcomes for children and teens in soft contact lens designs for myopia.
This cross-over study investigated the efficacy of highly aspherical lenslet (HAL) lenses to slow myopic progression for Vietnamese children. Switching from single vision to HAL lenses gave a slowing of myopia progression demonstrated by lesser axial elongation. Switching from HAL to SV did not demonstrate a myopia rebound effect.
This 1-yr extension of a previous 2-yr clinical trial investigated myopia control efficacy of highly aspherical lenslet (HAL) spectacle lenses for children wearing them for a further year and for children switching to HAL after wearing slightly aspherical lenslet (SAL) or single vision lenses. HAL design lenses were able to provide or maintain a myopia slowing effect for all wearers.
This study created percentile charts for axial length and axial length to corneal radius of curvature (AL/CR) ratio for Chinese children and found age and gender-specific differences in the data. The AL/CR ratio was found to be a more accurate predictor of myopia than axial length alone.
This reanalysis of data from 2 clinical trials evaluated the relative risk of fast axial eye growth in children wearing ortho-k lenses. The results showed that although younger children (6-8 years) experienced faster eye growth than older children (9-12 years), they also benefitted more from ortho-k in slowing their progression when worn for a 2-year period.
This retrospective study from Ireland found that despite recent increases in practitioners fitting myopia control contact lenses in Ireland, more than 60% of children were still managed with single vision correction only. Improving the prescribing rates of evidence-based myopia control treatments will ensure progressing myopes are less likely to miss appropriate intervention opportunities.
This study found the risk of microbial keratitis for children fitted with contact lenses for myopia control was less than the risk of visual impairment from myopia progression to over 3D or axial lengths exceeding 26mm. If worn throughout childhood, the extra benefits of myopia control contact lenses outweigh the risks of infection, especially if the lenses are daily disposable.
This case describes a teenager with a low refractive error but a surprisingly long axial length. Should we monitor or actively manage their myopia? In this case, axial length tells a different story than other factors in identifying the long-term risks of myopia for the patient.
