Multifocal contacts for your kids.
Common Questions About Multifocal Contact Lenses
What are Multifocal Contact Lenses?
Multifocal contact lenses are contact lenses that include multiple lens powers that allow the wearer to see at different distances at the same time. The contacts are usually worn by people over 40 who discover that they need extra help to read and see things up close. What happens is that as we age, our eyes lose the ability to focus on objects up close. So, fortunately, there are different multifocal contact lens designs that configure the lens powers so that a person can see up close and far away at the same time.
Do Kids Wear Multifocal Contact Lenses?
It turns out that children can wear multifocal contact lenses and have similar vision as if they were wearing single vision lenses.1 Several studies have shown that soft multifocal contact lenses with a center distance design can slow the progression of myopia in children.
How does the lenses work? These designs have a center zone for clear distance vision. In the periphery, the multifocal designs have a higher power which focuses the light rays in front of the retina which has been shown to reduce the stimuli for the eye to grow longer. The theory is that the periphery in single vision contact lenses focuses light in the back of the retina which stimulates the eye to grow longer. The longer the eye, the more myopia progresses.
What are the benefits of multifocal contact lenses for kids?
Contact lenses are less noticeable than wearing glasses.
Contact lenses allow kids to be more active in sports without the encumbrance of glasses.
Contact lenses provide an unobstructed view of a playing field or court and offer better peripheral vision than glasses.
Clear vision is immediate after insertion, right from the first day.
Studies on multifocal contact lenses have shown a reduction in myopia progression of around 50% compared to single vision contact lenses.
What are the considerations with Multifocal Contact Lenses for kids?
Contact lenses are a one-size-fits-all approach. Every child is different and they may not be a good solution for every child.
Younger children or their parents may not be ready for contact lenses. The child needs to be able to insert and remove lenses. Good hygiene practices are important.
There are several types of multifocal contact lenses that use different methods to focus the light rays. Your eye care professional can provide different options that meet your child’s specific vision needs.
In the United States, there is one contact lens brand approved for myopia management and other brands are prescribed off-label.
What About Single Vision Contact Lenses?
Single vision contact lenses have one lens power and are traditionally prescribed to kids to correct either nearsighted or farsighted vision.
Single vision contact lenses have not been shown to slow the progression of myopia. In fact, they are used as a control group in myopia management clinical studies. Today, eye care professionals may have better options for you child than single vision contact lenses.
If you eye care professional prescribes single vision contact lenses, ask why, since there are cases where this makes sense. Ask them about myopia management options for your child.
What are the current regulatory approvals for multifocal contact lenses?
Multifocal contact lenses received FDA clearance for specific patient populations and parameters and are available for review on contact lens company’s websites as “patient information booklets.”
There are many brands of multifocal contact lenses that include a center-distance design. While multifocal contact lenses are mostly prescribed to people with presbyopia (that’s what it’s called when you need reading glasses), these multifocal contact lenses are being prescribed off-label to children in the U.S.
In 2020, one contact lens product, the MiSight 1-Day received FDA approval specifically for the indication of slowing the progression of myopia in children. In Europe, there are multiple contact lens designs that have approval for myopia progression control including NaturalVue, a daily disposable soft lens and Mylo a monthly soft lens.
Efficacy:
Multifocal contact lenses have been shown to reduce the progression in children by an average of around 50% compared to wearing single vision contact lenses.
Source:
Bickle KM. Bifocal Lenses in Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study. Electronic Thesis or Dissertation: The Ohio State University; 2013.