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Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy of Short Exposure to Defocus to Slow the Progression of Myopia in Children

Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy of Short Exposure to Defocus to Slow the Progression of Myopia in Children

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00400140
Enrollment
30
Registered
2006-11-16
Start date
2006-11-30
Completion date
2008-10-31
Last updated
2010-05-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Myopia

Keywords

Myopia, defocus

Brief summary

The objective of this pilot study is to establish whether brief periods of high levels of acutely imposed myopic defocus can be used to slow the progression of myopia in children, as measured by changes in spherical equivalent refraction and axial length.

Detailed description

Recent results on animal models of myopia suggest that the eye has the ability to detect the overall sign of defocus of images falling on the retina, with myopic defocus imposed by the fitting of plus-lenses halting or slowing axial elongation of the eye. In the animal models, these STOP growth signals have been shown to be particularly strong - with brief periods of high myopic defocus able to outweigh the effects of prolonged periods of imposed hyperopic defocus in promoting eye growth. These results therefore suggest a novel strategy for preventing the progression of myopia in children - the imposition of high levels of myopia for brief periods of time. This approach is conceptually distinct from under-correction, which imposes chronic mild myopic defocus.

Interventions

DEVICEHyperopic lens

+3 D glasses

Sponsors

Singapore Eye Research Institute
CollaboratorOTHER
Singapore National Eye Centre
Lead SponsorOTHER_GOV

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Children aged 6 to 12 years 2. Refractive error of spherical equivalent -1.00 D to -6.00D in each eye as measured by cycloplegic autorefraction 3. Active myopia progression of at least spherical equivalent -0.50 D over the last 12 months as determined or suggested by refractive records or change in lens power 4. Astigmatism of less than or equal to -1.50 D as measured by non-cycloplegic or cycloplegic autorefraction 5. Distance vision correctable to logMAR 0.1 or better in both eyes 6. Normal intraocular pressure of not greater than 21 mmHg 7. Normal ocular health other than myopia 8. In good general health 9. Willing and able to comply with scheduled visits and other study procedures

Exclusion criteria

1. Baseline Anisometropia of \> 1.5D 2. Ocular or systemic diseases which may affect vision or refractive error 3. Defective binocular function or stereopsis 4. Amblyopia or manifest strabismus including intermittent tropia 5. Previous or current use of atropine or pirenzepine 6. Any other conditions precluding adherence to the protocol including unwillingness to refrain from contact lens wear for the duration of the study 7. Allergy to cyclopentolate, proparacaine and benzalkonium chloride

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Myopia progression as measured by spherical equivalent, and axial length12 month

Countries

Singapore

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026