Contact lenses show lasting effect in slowing youth myopia progression

January 17, 2025

Special contact lenses used to slow myopia progression in children have lasting effects even after discontinuation, according to new findings. The Bifocal Lenses In Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) study and its follow-up, BLINK2, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, followed children who wore high-add multifocal contact lenses for two years before switching to single-vision lenses for a third year. Results showed that axial eye growth returned to age-expected rates after stopping the treatment, with no significant loss of initial benefits.

Early management of pediatric myopia with multifocal contact lenses can reduce the risk of severe complications later in life, such as retinal detachment and glaucoma. The study supports fitting children with these lenses at a younger age and continuing treatment until myopia progression naturally slows in the late teenage years.

Source:

(2025, January 16). NIH. Contact lenses used to slow nearsightedness in youth have a lasting effect. [News release]. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/contact-lenses-used-slow-nearsightedness-youth-have-lasting-effect