Peripheral refraction with dominant design multifocal contact lenses in young myopes

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to show the potential of a commercial center-distance multifocal soft contact lens to induce relative peripheral myopic defocus in myopic eyes. MethodsTwenty-eight myopic right eyes from 28 patients (mean age: 22.0±2.0 years) were evaluated. The measurements of axial and off-axis refraction were made using a Grand-Seiko WAM-5500 open-field autorefractometer without lens and with multifocal contact lenses (Proclear Multifocal D® Design) of +2.00D and +3.00D add power applied randomly. Central mean spherical equivalent refraction was −2.24±1.33D. Ocular refraction was measured at center and at eccentricities between 35° nasal and 35° temporal (in 5° steps). ResultsBaseline relative peripheral refractive error (RPRE) as spherical equivalent (M) was −0.69±1.14D and −0.46±1.38D at 35° in the nasal and temporal degrees of visual field, respectively. Both add powers increased the relative peripheral myopic defocus up to −0.82±1.23D (p=0.002) and −1.42±1.45D (p<0.001) at 35° in the nasal field; and −0.87±1.42D (p=0.003) and −2.00±1.48D (p<0.001) at 35° in the temporal retina with +2.00D and +3.00D add lenses, respectively. Differences between +2.00 and +3.00D add lenses were statistically significant beyond 20° in the nasal visual field and 10° in the temporal visual field. ConclusionIt is possible to induce significant changes in the pattern of relative peripheral refraction in the myopic direction with commercially available dominant design multifocal contact lenses. The higher add (+3.00D) induced an significantly higher effect than the +2.00D add lens, although an increase of 1D in add power does not correspond to the same amount of increase in RPRE.