Contact lenses may halt nearsightedness in kids

A TEAM of researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry has developed contact lenses that have the potential to treat nearsightedness or myopia in children.

Development o f myopia tends to occur as a person ages. The eye slowly adjusts its shape as compensation for the improper focus of light on the retina. This worsens things over time, and the use of corrective lenses that create farsightedness on the periphery can further aggravate the situation.

The SUNY team, headed by Dr David Troilo, has developed specialty contact lenses that guide the eye to grow in a way that may potentially halt the progression of myopia. The lenses are somewhat similar to progressive glasses, with varying focal lengths in different regions. The team focused light on the peripheral retina using a different focal setting. This resulted to the eye compensating accordingly and growing toward a more normal shape.

Dr Troilo presented the findings of this research in Optics 2012, the Optical Society’s annual meeting, last month in Rochester, New York.