MiSight Myopia Control contact lenses - part 2

MiSight lenses were launched at the beginning of 2018, but the technology behind them has been thoroughly tested.

Firstly the lens material has been around for over a decade, we know that it performs well on the eye.  It is comfortable to wear and stable.  We also know that single use daily disposable lenses are the safest way to wear contact lenses.

When studying the lenses, CooperVision choose children from age 8 - 15 years old.  One factor they looked at was how successful the children were in taking care of their contact lenses, and after a month of wear with the contact lenses 100% of the children could easily remove their contacts, 85% also found them easy to insert.  Over the three year study, 100% of those that remained with using the contact lenses reported that they were "happy" with the overall experience.

In the same study, the myopia progression for those wearing the lenses was 59% less than those wearing regular one day single use lenses of the same material, but without the ActivControl Technology.  Importantly this coincided with the measurements of the elongation of the eye, which was 52% less.

It is this eye elongation which we think leads to many of the risks of ocular side effects including retinal detachment and glaucoma.  To be clinically successful in protecting the health of the eyes, the contact lenses don't just need to manage the focus of the eyes, but also the elongation.

The lenses work by providing the retina with different focusing zones, this use of peripheral de-focus has been an emerging concept which we have followed with interest over the last few years.  It completely changes some of our thoughts and models relating to how myopia develops, but it also provides an exciting opportunity to start to understand how we can slow myopic progression.

It must be noted that this may provide some minimal ghosting or a soft-focus type effect on the overall vision, studies have found that this is not unacceptable and doesn't impact on the overall quality of vision experienced by children wearing the lenses.

If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting development in the world of contact lenses and children's vision then don't hesitate to make an appointment.  We will go through all of the information about the contact lenses, starting with a comprehensive eye examination to assess the prescription and the health of the eyes.

MiSight Myopia Control contact lenses - Part 1

A brand new contact lens has been launched onto the market with some pretty bold claims, we wanted to find out more about it.

There is no doubt that myopia (or nearshightedness) is becoming increasingly common.  Studies have shown that in the US over 40% of the population are nearsighted and in some Asian countries this level can be over 80%.  With the current trends, these numbers seem set to continue to rise.

Myopia doesn't just inconvenience someone by requiring them to wear glasses or contact lenses to see distant objects clearly, but also makes the eye more prone to serious sight threatening conditions.  It is this concerning aspect of myopia which makes controlling its development of particular interest.  If we can reduce the risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataract development and myopic macular degeneration then we can make a real impact on the health of our patients' eyes.

Currently we do not fully understand why myopia develops, although we are aware of various risk factors.  It is also common to find that once myopia starts in childhood, it tends to continue to progress developing throughout the teenage years and even in to the early twenties.

There have been various different systems for slowing myopia progression used over the years including rigid contact lenses, orthokeratology, bifocal and multifocal spectacle lenses, bifocal contact lenses and even specific eye drops.

Studies have also shown that if children spend consistent time outdoors in natural daylight, myopia progression is significantly reduced, so we do encourage making lifestyle changes to try to minimise myopic changes.

All of the various systems that have been used previously have advantages, but significant hurdles, which has kept their use to a minimum before.  CooperVision's new single use daily contact lens, MiSight, has the possibility of being a real game changer!

So our first piece of advice is to ensure plenty of outdoors time for children!

Our next post will look more at the actual technology of the lenses themselves.