New spectacles for myopia control

Abstract

Two recent randomized clinical trials have shown good results slowing myopia progression in children with DIMS (Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments) and HALT (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) spectacles. In these spectacles, the lenslets are located around a clear 9 mm central zone for distance vision. These sophisticated eyewear designs require complex industrial production, which makes them more expensive than simple single vision aspherical lenses. In countries like Argentina, the costs of these glasses would mean that few children with myopia could have access to them, and therefore they would not be able to slow down myopic progression, something that today is considered essential.
The authors propose that these special glasses can be replaced by simpler lenses carved in conventional optical laboratories which have the possibility of generating multi-faceted or high aspherical optical surfaces. It would only be necessary to generate lenses with a clear central section of “distance visión” for the necessary myopic correction, a small transition zone and a peripheral plus-add or hyper aspheric zone that produces a myopic blur similar to that produced by the design of the special glasses previously tested. Also, different spectacles could be developed that produce blurring of the peripheral retina through laser dots that simulate the Bangerter foils effects. Testing the progression of refractive error with these devices could easily be done if non-governmental organizations, or even governments concerned about the myopia epidemic in Asia, participated in randomized clinical trials of these less expensive glasses for myopia control.