by Joel Harrison
22. March 2011 13:35
In spite of the fact that intensive research into myopia has been carried out for decades, scientists are still struggling to find effective methods of preventing or stopping it. Statistics show that as many as 2.3 billion people worldwide may be affected by the condition.
However, a recent study might change the situation dramatically. Scientists from the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland, Dr John Phillips and Dr Nicola Anstice, have been working on a way to slow down the progression of myopia with the use of dual-focus contact lenses, especially in children (in whom the progression of myopia is the most visible).
The lenses used by Dr Phillips and Dr Anstice are designed so that their centre corrects the refractive error while the peripheral part provides retinal defocus, decreasing the speed at which the eye elongates, this way affecting the progression of myopia. During the study, positive effects (myopia slowing down by at least 30%) were observed in 70 percent of the subjects; the lenses did not change visual acuity.
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