Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Feb;28(2):134-41.
doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.255. Epub 2013 Dec 6.

Practical applications to modify and control the development of ametropia

P R Sankaridurg  1 , B A Holden  1
Affiliations
Review

Practical applications to modify and control the development of ametropia

P R Sankaridurg et al. Eye (Lond). 2014 Feb.

Abstract

For many individuals, the developmental trend of lessening hyperopia from birth continues past emmetropia towards myopia during childhood. The global pattern for prevalence of refractive errors indicates that the prevalence of hyperopia is low; in contrast, the burden of myopia is on the rise because of rising prevalence and magnitude of myopia. This review highlights the need to lessen the global burden of myopia by intervening with the development and/or slowing the progression of myopia. Further, outcomes from human clinical trials of pharmaceutical, optical, and environmental approaches to control myopia will be summarised. Pharmaceutical treatments are effective in controlling eye growth but are associated with deleterious side effects. Optical strategies that induce myopic defocus at the retina such as peripheral defocus reducing lenses, simultaneous defocus lenses, bifocals, and orthokeratology as well as environmental influences such as increased outdoor activity show promise and provide a substantially risk-free environment in which to control eye growth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual progression data (observed and estimated) for children with myopia aged 6–12 years.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated refractive error progression for a 6-year old with conventional correction and a myopia control strategy with 30% slowing of progression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Naidoo KS, Jaggernath J. Uncorrected refractive errors. Ind J Ophthalmol. 2012;60:432–437. - PMC - PubMed
    1. He M, Zeng J, Liu Y, Xu J, Pokharel GP, Ellwein LB. Refractive error and visual impairment in urban children in southern China. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004;45:793–799. - PubMed
    1. Murthy GVS, Gupta SK, Ellwein LB, Munoz SR, Pokharel GP, Sanga L, et al. Refractive error in children in an urban population in New Delhi. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43:623–631. - PubMed
    1. Fan DS, Lam DSC, Lam RF, Lau JTF, Chong KS, Cheung EYY, et al. Prevalence, incidence and progression of myopia in school children in Hong Kong. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004;45:1071–1075. - PubMed
    1. IP JM, Robaei D, Kifley A, Wang JJ, Rose KA, Mitchell P. Prevalence of hyperopia and associations with eye findings in 6 and 12 year olds. Ophthalmology. 2008;115:678–685. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances