Specialty contact lenses may treat myopia

WASHINGTON – A team of researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry have developed contact lenses that have the potential to treat near-sightedness or myopia.

The findings of this research will be presented by Dr David Troilo in the upcoming Optical Society’s (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics 2012, which will take place October 14 to 18 in Rochester, New York.

Development of 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 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.