Optical methods for the management of progressive myopia

Abstract

Introduction. Myopia is the main cause of preventable blindness and is widespread around the world at an alarming rate, especially in Asian countries. The age of the onset of myopia is getting younger. The prevalence of myopia and high myopia is sharply increasing, which requires clinicians to use new and safe methods of its stabilization. The main methods of correction are optical. This group is based on the hypothesis of induced peripheral myopic defocus.Aim: to study the domestic and international experience with the use of the optical methods in treatment of progressive myopia according to the literature and factors, as well as factors affecting their effectiveness.Materials and methods. More than 200 publications on PubMed, eLibrary, and Crossref Metadata over the past 10 years were analyzed. Our analysis includes a review of 60 publications.Results. Over the past years, there has been a strong interest of researchers in the problem of progressive myopia. This is reflected by a more than four-fold increase in the number of publications devoted to the causes and methods of treatment in patients with progressive myopia. Publications demonstrate the importance of using the modern optical methods, such as spectacle lenses, multifocal and bifocal soft contact lenses and orthokeratology in the routine practice of ophthalmologists and optometrists in order to stabilize the progression of myopia in children and adolescents. On the one hand, the results of analysis show their high efficiency. On the other hand, we need an individual approach in choosing the method for myopia control in each specific case. The factors influencing the result are identified: the diameter of the optical zone, the force of addition that creates the peripheral myopic defocus and the time of use myopia correction during the day.Conclusion. No method of treating progressive myopia demonstrates clear superiority. Orthokeratology, multifocal and bifocal soft contact lenses, special glasses and low doses atropine instillation demonstrates the similar effect with some clauses. When choosing optical methods for myopia control, the factors affecting their effectiveness should be taken into account.