Special eyeglasses featuring highly aspherical lens elements can slow the progression of nearsightedness in children by more than 70 percent, according to a clinical study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
The two-year clinical trial monitored 159 nearsighted children between six and 12 years of age. During the trial, one group of participants wore standard corrective glasses, while another group wore special lenses designed with highly aspherical elements intended to correct vision while simultaneously retarding the development of myopia.
Over the course of two years, children equipped with the special lenses saw their degree of myopia increase by an average of 0.25 diopters. In contrast, children in the control group wearing conventional glasses experienced an average progression of 0.90 diopters.
The protective effect was particularly pronounced among the youngest trial participants. For children aged six to eight years old, the specialized optical lenses slowed the overall rate of vision deterioration by 87 percent.
Nearsightedness, known medically as myopia, is a refractive eye condition that makes distant objects look blurred while nearby objects remain sharp. The condition frequently emerges in early childhood as the physical eyeball grows longer from front to back, preventing incoming light rays from focusing directly on the retina at the back of the eye.
Retarding physical eye elongation
In addition to curbing refractive changes, the aspherical lenses slowed the axial elongation of the eyeball by 53 percent over the two-year study period. The authors noted that the special lenses were completely safe for regular use and provided the exact same visual sharpness as traditional single-vision spectacle lenses.
Aspherical optical elements differ from conventional spherical lenses, which maintain a constant, uniform curve across the entire glass surface. By incorporating variable surface curvatures, aspherical designs redirect light rays across the peripheral retina, creating optical signals that help regulate how the eye grows as a child develops.
Optometrists and ophthalmologists measure the refractive error of an eye in diopters, where larger numerical values correspond to stronger corrective power needed to clarify distant vision. The trial results appeared in JAMA Ophthalmology, a monthly medical journal published by the American Medical Association that focuses on clinical research and surgical techniques in visual health.
Study limitations and future research
Although the trial demonstrated significant short-term success in reducing myopia progression, the study authors cautioned that their monitoring of the 159 pediatric patients was limited to a two-year timeframe.
As a result, the authors explained that it remains unknown whether the preventative benefits are sustained over a longer period. Further long-term studies will be necessary to determine whether wearing aspherical lenses in childhood can successfully lower the risk of severe vision complications and eye diseases later in adult life.
