Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses for the Treatment of Myopia Progression in Children: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Multifocal soft contact lenses slow axial elongation more than spectacles or single-vision lenses in children
Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses for the Treatment of Myopia Progression in Children: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
To review the published literature assessing the efficacy of multifocal soft contact lenses for the treatment of myopia progression in children 18 years of age and younger.
Twelve articles were deemed to have met the inclusion criteria and were assigned a level of evidence rating by the panel methodologist.
All studies showed less myopic progression, with changes in spherical equivalent (SE) ranging from 0.22 to 0.81 diopters (D) for multifocal soft contact lenses compared with 0.50 to 1.45 D in control groups who used single-vision spectacles or single-vision contact lenses over the course of at least 1 year.
The difference in change between the groups was clinically modest and statistically significant in 11 studies for SE and in all 12 studies for axial length.
No serious adverse events were reported in any of the studies.
Level 1 evidence supports slower myopia progression and axial length elongation in children who used multifocal soft contact lenses compared with spectacles or single-vision contact lenses over at least 1 year of follow-up.
However, few data are available on optimal treatment duration, the progression over longer periods, or progression after discontinuation of the multifocal contact lenses.
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