A recent study suggests that multifocal contact lenses may help slow the progression of myopia, or nearsightedness, in children by reducing excessive eye growth. Researchers found that children wearing specialized multifocal lenses experienced slower eye elongation compared to those using regular single-vision contact lenses, providing encouraging evidence for a treatment aimed at controlling worsening vision during childhood.
The study involved 281 children between the ages of 7 and 11. Participants were assigned either standard single-vision contact lenses or multifocal contact lenses designed with different focusing zones. Researchers monitored the children over a three-year period to examine changes in eye growth and the structure of the eye.
One important area studied was the choroid, a layer of blood vessels located behind the retina that helps nourish the eye. Scientists discovered that children wearing high-add multifocal lenses developed a slightly thicker choroid compared to children using standard lenses. This thickening was linked to slower eye elongation, suggesting that the lenses may influence signals controlling eye growth.
Researchers believe the multifocal design changes how light enters the eye, which may help slow the biological processes responsible for worsening myopia. Follow-up observations also showed that children who stopped using the lenses later did not experience a sudden increase in abnormal eye growth.
Experts say the findings support the growing use of multifocal contact lenses as a safe and effective method for managing childhood myopia and potentially reducing the risk of serious vision complications later in life.
“We evaluated changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness and area in children wearing soft multifocal contact lenses for myopia control,”
reports Berntsen in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
“After initiating contact lens wear, subfoveal choroidal thickness and choroidal area increased in the group wearing high-add multifocal contact lenses compared to those in standard contact lenses, a difference that was maintained throughout the three-year study. Increased choroidal thickness and area after two weeks were associated with less axial elongation over three years.”
