Lens breakthrough slows myopia in most kids

Ayra Wang

Hong Kong Polytechnic University has collaborated with the German optics company Zeiss to launch a new lens that can slow down myopia progression in approximately 90 percent of child wearers.

Speaking at the signing ceremony yesterday, Christopher Chao Yu-hang, the Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said that this collaboration will be a "milestone" for global myopia management.

"It is estimated that by 2050, about half of the world's population will suffer from myopia, and severe myopia can not only affect people's quality of life but also pose risks of serious eye diseases or even blindness," Chao said.

"Managing myopia, especially controlling the speed of progression in children, cannot be overlooked."

The new lens, called MyoCare, was launched by Zeiss in 2022. It has adopted PolyU's patented "defocus incorporated soft contact" technology, which can slow down myopia progression by shaping the wearer's eyeball to a length that can receive a focused image, similar to normal vision.

Dennis Tse Yan-yin, an associate professor at PolyU's School of Optometry, said the new lens has a concentric ring design with two optical microstructures alternately arranged on its surface. "One optical structure is for correcting vision, allowing light to focus on the retina and provide a clear image."

The other optical structure produces a second image in front of the retina, creating a defocus that can slow down the length growth of the eyeball, he said.

Tse said that myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. The technology employed in the new lens is not invasive and has no obvious side effects.

A report released yesterday showed that the new lens can slow down the average axial length growth in Asian children by up to 70 percent, and nearly 90 percent of them have experienced a slower myopic progression in a one-year period.

The price for a pair of these glasses ranges from HK$1,500 to HK$3,000 and is suitable for children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 with myopia up to 1200 degrees and less than 600 degrees of astigmatism.

Parents are advised to take effective measures and bring their myopic children for vision checks every 3 to 6 months during the critical period for myopia management, which is between 6 and 12 years old.