Stabilizing effect of orthokeratology lenses (ten-year follow-up results)

Abstract

to investigate the effects of long-term (10 years) overnight wear of ortho-k lenses on the dynamics of axial eye growth in children and adolescents. This is a prospective cohort study of the effects of ortho-k lenses on the dynamics of anterior-posterior elongation of the eyeball in 84 patients (168 eyes) aged 7 to 16 years and diagnosed with progressive myopia of 1.0 to 7.0 diopters. Patients were examined every three months, including the slit lamp examination to detect possible side effects of lens wear. The study proves the decelerating effect of the method on disease progression: the average 10-year increase in the axial eye length was 0.7±0.02 mm that corresponds to myopia progression of 2.4 diopters. A comparative analysis of the annual axial eye growth depending on patient age and the degree of myopia at baseline was performed. The increase was found to be generally greater in young children with higher initial myopia. Long-term wear of orthokeratology lenses is able to slow down the axial eye growth, i.e. the progression of myopia.