Axial Length Stabilization or Reduction in over 40% of Patients Wearing Extended Depth-of-Focus Contact Lenses

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Preceding studies have reported the efficacy of multifocal contact lenses (MFCLs) in slowing myopia progression. Recently, a novel type of MFCL, i.e., extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) contact lens (CL), was designed. Here, we retrospectively investigated myopia progression associated with EDOF CL wear. Methods: Twenty-four consecutive myopic children (24 eyes; mean age, 13.9 years) received EDOF CLs to control myopia progression and participated in the study. We measured the axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), and choroidal thickness (CT) at baseline and after 1 year of lens wear and compared the changes. Results: The mean baseline AL, SE, and CT were, respectively, 26.31 mm, -6.38 diopter (D), and 235 μm, and at 1 year 26.40 mm (p = 0.03), -6.61 D (p = 0.05), and 244 μm (p = 0.18). The AL decreased in 20.8% of cases (≧-0.05 mm/year), whereas 20.8% and 58.4% of cases had stabilization of the AL or an increased AL (≧+0.05 mm/year), respectively. The patients with a decreased AL engaged in a mean outdoor activity time of 200.6 min/day, the patients with an increased AL (≧+0.05 mm/year) engaged in a mean outdoor activity time of 126.7 min/day. The change in the AL was correlated significantly with the change in the CT (β = -0.46, p < 0.05), and 80% of patients with a shortened AL had increased CT (≧+20 μm/year). Conclusions: Our data showed that the AL stabilized or decreased in over 40% of myopic patients wearing EDOF CLs.

Keywords: axial length; choroidal thickness; extended depth-of-focus lenses; myopia; spherical equivalent.

Figure 1

The proportions of patients in the increased-AL group, stabilized-AL group, and reduced-AL group after a year of EDOF CL wear: 58.4% of cases had an increased AL (≧+0.05 mm/year), 20.8% of cases had a stabilized AL, and 20.8% of cases had a decreased AL (≧−0.05 mm/year). The AL stabilized or reduced in over 40% of patients wearing EDOF CLs.

Figure 2

The correlations between the change in the AL and the change in the CT after a year of wearing EDOF CLs. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and p value are shown between the change in the AL and the change in the CT. Significant correlations are seen between the change in the AL and the change in the CT (β = −0.46, p < 0.05). The highlighted area indicates the cases in which the AL stabilized or decreased.