Reduction of Myopic Progression Using a Multifocal Soft Contact Lens: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose: To evaluate myopia progression over an approximately 6-year follow-up period in children and young adults wearing a commercially available, daily disposable, soft multifocal contact lens with an extended depth of focus (center distance) design. Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis included data from 196 patients of mean (SD) age 12.3 (2.7) years (range, 5-20 years), fit with the NaturalVue Multifocal (NVMF) contact lens at 15 practices in the United States over 6 years. All patients showed at least -0.50D of myopic progression in at least one eye prior to wearing the lens. Data from the right eye were analyzed. One- way ANOVA with Tukeys post-hoc i-tests were used for statistical analysis, with a significance level set at P < 0.05. Results: After wearing these lenses for 6-72 months, the average myopia progression slowed by approximately 0.84 D or 85% compared to baseline, which was statistically significant at all time points (P < 0.0001). Frequency distribution revealed that 91% of wearers showed a decrease in myopia progression compared to baseline, with 79% of wearers showing a [greater than or equal to] 70% reduction in myopia progression. The average change in axial length in a subset of the population over 47 months of follow-up was approximately 0.10 mm/year. Compared with changes expected in an age- and ethnicity-matched myopic virtual control group obtained from published meta-analysis data, both myopic refractive error progression and axial elongation were significantly lower in NVMF wearers at 12, 24 and 36 months (P < 0.001). Analysis of the age- and ethnicity-matched virtual control group predicted that the Cumulative Absolute Reduction of axial Elongation (CARE) value over 3 years would be 0.45 mm. Conclusion: Wearers of the soft multifocal contact lens displayed significant reductions in myopia progression throughout a follow-up period of 6 years. Keywords: myopia, myopia progression control, soft multifocal contact lenses, peripheral hyperopia