Study suggests wearing no-line bifocals slows myopia progression in some children

Certain children who wear a special kind of no-line bifocal lenses show signs of slower progression of myopia than those who wear more conventional lenses according to a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).

The study found that among children with two myopic parents, myopia progression was slower in children wearing progressive-addition lenses (PALs) when compared to those wearing single-vision lenses (SVLs). Knowing parental myopia may be helpful when deciding which myopic children are likely to benefit from special lenses. The five-year study was conducted by researchers from New England College of Optometry; Pennsylvania College of Optometry; University of Alabama School of Optometry; University of Houston College of Optometry; and State University of New York Stony Brook, Department of Preventive Medicine.

Participants in this study were 232 of the 469 children aged 11 to 16 recruited for the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial (COMET). Among the children included in this study, 87 (37.5 percent) had two myopic parents.

"This study shows that parental refractive error should now be added to the constellation of factors which are related to the progression of juvenile onset myopia," said researcher Dan Kurtz of the New England College of Optometry.

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Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology