ARVO2026 Recap #1 – What's new in contact lens myopia control?

Authors: Alex Nixon¹, Xu Cheng¹, Jie Xu¹, Emily Hester-Hotte¹, Augustine Nyarko Nti¹, Wei Pan², Weizhong Lan^2,3

1. Johnson and Johnson Vision, Medical Device Business Services Inc, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
2. Aier Academy of Ophthalmology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
3. Aier Eye Hospital Group, Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, China

This study evaluated 24-month myopia progression in Chinese children wearing Abiliti™ 1-Day (A1D) daily disposable soft contact lenses, compared against a real-world control (RWC) group. This prospective, single-arm study recruited myopic children aged 7–12 years; 60 children were fitted with A1D and 42 subjects in the RWC group used single-vision spectacles. 

At 24 months, A1D wearers showed mean axial elongation of 0.23mm and myopia progression of -0.56D, compared to 0.50mm and -1.16D in the RWC, with no adverse events. Chinese children wearing A1D lenses demonstrated numerically less axial elongation and myopia progression compared to a real-world control group, supporting A1D as an effective myopia management option.

[Link to abstract]

Paper: Five-year myopia management efficacy of extended depth of focus soft contact lenses in white children with progressing myopia

Authors: Sergio Díaz-Gómez^1,2, Mercedes Burgos-Martínez³, Padmaja Sankaridurg⁴, Monica Velasco-De La Fuente³, Elena Durán Prieto³, Jesús Carballo¹

1. Optics and Optometry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
2. R&D, Miranza COI Bilbao, Portugalete, Vizcaya, Spain
3. R&D, Mark ennovy Personalized Care, Getafe, Madrid, Spain
4. Optometry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

[Link to abstract]

Paper: Three-Year Myopia-Control Efficacy of Extended Depth-of-Focus (EDOF) Soft Toric Contact Lenses in Astigmatic Caucasian Children with Progressive Myopia

Authors: Pablo De Gracia¹, Sergio Díaz-Gómez^2,3, Mercedes Burgos-Martínez⁴, Monica Velasco-De La Fuente⁴, Elena Durán Prieto⁴, Jesús Carballo²

1. Director of Research & Associate Professor, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, United States
2. Optics and Optometry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
3. R&D, Miranza COI Bilbao, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
4. R&D, Mark ennovy Personalized Care, Madrid, Getafe, Spain

[Link to abstract]

Two studies evaluated the long-term myopia control efficacy of extended depth-of-focus soft contact lenses (mark'ennovy, Spain) in Caucasian children. The first was a 5-year, prospective, non-randomised trial in which myopic children (mean age 10.9 years) were fitted with either EDOF-CL (n=47) or single-vision spectacles (n=51). After 5 years, the EDOF-CL group progressed by –1.50D/0.85mm compared to –2.41D/1.46mm in the predicted control group, representing cumulative reductions of 0.91D and 0.61mm.

The second was a 3-year trial in which myopic children with astigmatism (mean age 11.0 years) were fitted with either toric EDOF-CL (n=8) or single-vision toric spectacles (n=8). After 3 years, the EDOF-toric CL group progressed by –0.66D/0.41mm compared to –1.51D/0.90mm in controls, representing cumulative reductions of 0.85D and 0.49mm.

Across both studies, EDOF-CL designs meaningfully reduced myopia progression compared to single-vision spectacles, supporting their clinical utility for myopia management in Caucasian children with and without astigmatism.

Authors: Kuang-mon Ashley Tuan¹, Scott Novak², Sally M. Dillehay³

1. Visioneering Technologies Inc, Georgia, United States
2. Kingfish Statistical and Data Analytics Inc, Durham, North Carolina, United States
3. ClintrialSolutions, LLC, Georgia, United States

This study identified risk factors for myopia progression and assessed whether contact lenses with a catenary-curve optical design mitigates their impact in myopic children. The PROTECT study was a prospective, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted across the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore, enrolling 145 myopic children aged 8–12 years. Participants were randomised to wear either NaturalVue Multifocal (NVMF) contact lenses with catenary-curve optical design, or single-vision contact lenses (SVCL). 

Risk factors for progression were age, early onset (<8 years), baseline axial length, family history, country of residence, and outdoor time – of which NVMF attenuated the influence of family history and baseline axial length. After 2 years, myopia progression and axial elongation were reduced in NVMF wearers compared to SVCL (−0.47D/0.25mm vs −1.06D/0.47mm) – a difference of 0.59D and 0.22mm. The NVMF catenary-curve lens significantly slowed refractive and axial progression over 2 years while attenuating the effects of risk factors.

[Link to abstract]

Authors: Wenyuan Liu¹, Shuxian Zhang², Xiaoyan Yang², Ting Wang²

1. College of Optometry, Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, United States
2. Tianjin Eye Hospital Optometric Center, China

This study evaluated real-world myopia control outcomes of orthokeratology (OrthoK) and identified factors associated with treatment effectiveness using a large clinical dataset. This retrospective study analysed records from 14,752 OrthoK wearers (mean age 11.87 years; mean baseline SER –3.17D) across 9 lens designs at Tianjin Eye Hospital Optometry Center. AL elongation slowed with age and approached stability after 15 years. Brands with customized designs showed the least annualised AL elongation. In children wearing the same brand for ≥2 years, overall annualized elongation did not differ between the first and second year. Children of all ages switching from myopia-control spectacles to OrthoK showed a reduction in annualised elongation, from 0.311 to 0.171mm/year. Overall, OrthoK provided robust myopia control across this large real-world cohort. Earlier initiation yielded the greatest benefit, and brand-related differences highlight the need for individualised lens design.

[Link to abstract]