Efficacy of multifocal rigid gas permeable contact lenses to control myopia progression

Myopia is a global pandemic, with significant adverse effects on visual health. It is imperative to establish a more comprehensive and inclusive myopia control that can address the lack of myopia defences due to age, refractive error and astigmatism range. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of multifocal rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (MF-RGPCL) as a myopia control intervention.The efficacy of MF-RGPCL were assessed by the changes in axial length (AL) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and the safety was evaluated by monitoring the changes in corneal endothelial cells. Furthermore, an analysis was conducted on subjects' ocular parameters, genetic characteristics, lens' fit, growth and development and which may influence AL progression in the MF-RGPCL group. Following a 12-month period, the axial elongationAL of the MF-RGPCL group was significantly slower than that of the single-vision spectacle lenses (SVL) group. Similarly, the BCVA of the MF-RGPCL group was significantly better than that of the SVL group. And the AL progression in the MF-RGPCL group was significantly correlated with onset age of myopia, parental myopia, lens decentration, pupil diameter, and corneal curvature. No significant alterations were observed in the corneal endothelial cells. MF-RGPCL has been demonstrated to provide effective myopia control and good safety, and can be used as an alternative for myopia defence in adolescents. Complementary clinical indications for orthokeratology lenses (OK lenses) and multifocal soft contact lenses (MF-SCL).