Four key insights from the seven-year MiSight® 1 day study

For some children, spectacles can frequently present practical and psychosocial challenges that affect participation in sport, daily activities, and self-confidence. Glasses may interfere with physical activity, requiring interruptions during play and creating problems with damage or discomfort. Contact lenses can offer a practical option by providing clear, stable vision without these physical constraints.¹ 

 Dan, a former participant in the MiSight® 1 day study, recalls how wearing contact lenses allowed him to participate more confidently in sport, without the constant interruptions he experienced when wearing glasses. Removing these practical barriers supported greater freedom of movement and a more natural experience of physical activity. Importantly, these quality-of-life improvements were not accompanied by an added burden to daily routines, as contact lens wear was readily incorporated into everyday life. This directly addresses a common concern among both parents and practitioners about whether children can successfully manage contact lenses. For those who participated in the study over the many years, contact lens wear became a natural part of daily routines. After a short learning period,²  handling lenses became straightforward and required minimal time each day, making it easy to sustain recommended wear patterns.

 Beyond practical considerations, broader benefits may be observed with contact lens wear, including improvements in confidence and comfort in both sporting and social settings, as well as greater ease with everyday tasks such as screen use. These observations suggest that contact lenses can support not only effective vision correction but also participation and confidence in daily life.

From a parent’s perspective, decisions around myopia management may also be guided by long-term considerations rather than immediate visual outcomes alone. Donna, whose son Dan participated in the MiSight® 1 day study, describes how part of her motivation was wanting to keep as many future pathways open as possible. At the time of enrolment, it was impossible to know which direction her child’s interests or career aspirations might take, whether in sport, academic pursuits, or more physically demanding professions.

 Participation in the study provided access to a treatment that not only addressed myopia progression but also supported confidence and functional vision during formative years. Looking back, Donna reflects that this early intervention played a meaningful role in broadening her son Dan’s opportunities later in life, particularly in meeting visual demands that may not have been achievable with a higher level of final myopia.3 Dan later pursued a career in the military, where he credits contact lenses with not only helping him meet the required visual standards, but also supporting effective performance in this role.

This perspective highlights an important consideration for families: myopia management is not solely about managing refractive change in childhood, but about supporting future life choices and flexibility. For parents, the value of early intervention may only become fully apparent years later, as children transition into adulthood and encounter new visual and occupational demands.

Professor Debbie Jones, lead clinical scientist at the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) and a clinical professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, at the University of Waterloo, Canada, was one of the clinical investigators in the MiSight® 1 day study. She found that participating in the full seven-year journey was meaningful both professionally and personally, particularly given how young many of the children were at enrolment and how early in the evolution of myopia management the study was conducted, commencing in 2012.4

 At the outset, fitting eight- to twelve-year-old children with contact lenses was not common practice, as myopia was still largely approached as a condition managed with spectacles. Introducing contact lenses from the beginning represented a shift in thinking at the time, and one that allowed investigators to observe and support children not only as study participants, but as individuals growing through key developmental stages.

 Over the course of the study, some children who initially presented as shy developed into confident adolescents, with noticeable changes in independence and self-assurance. For Debbie, seeing these changes unfold over time and getting to know children and their families as they grew through important developmental stages, was one of the most rewarding and joyful aspects of her role as a clinician. Being part of their journey, even in a small way, reinforced the unique privilege of long-term myopia management and the deeply human side of clinical care. 

From a research perspective, the MiSight® 1 day study was designed to take a novel concept through to a clinically robust and globally applicable treatment — a process that, in myopia management, required addressing multiple unknowns. Dr Paul Chamberlain, Senior Director of Research Programs at CooperVision, reflects that the seven-year duration of the study was critical in demonstrating sustained efficacy beyond the initial three years, confirming that children could safely wear contact lenses full time while maintaining quality of life, and clarifying what happens when treatment is discontinued in real-world settings.

One of the most influential analyses to emerge from the study compared eye growth in children wearing MiSight® 1 day with the physiological eye growth of non-myopic eyes.5  This comparison showed that treatment slowed myopic eye growth toward normal, age-expected rates, providing clinicians with reassurance that the intervention was slowing progression. At the same time, the findings prompted broader discussion within the field, including whether there may be an upper limit to myopia control efficacy and whether normalising eye growth should be considered the primary goal.

Importantly, the seven-year data addressed a long-standing concern around rebound. When treatment was stopped, eye growth returned to expected age-expected rates rather than accelerating. For clinicians, these findings collectively provide a strong evidence base for moving beyond “wait and see” approaches, 6 offering long-term confidence in both the effectiveness and safety of proactive myopia management.