Published online Oct 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i30.8985
Peer-review started: June 30, 2021
First decision: July 26, 2021
Revised: August 10, 2021
Accepted: August 25, 2021
Article in press: August 25, 2021
Published online: October 26, 2021
Myopia is a common eye disease often occurring among adolescents. Although the study-and-play surrounding of teenagers has been greatly improved in recent years, myopia incidence in China and some other developing countries is still quite high. As for myopia pathogenesis, a new hypothesis shows that myopia is controlled by signals from the retina’s periphery. To some extent, it explains how rigid gas-permeable contact lenses, like orthokeratology lens (OK lens) and single-focal glasses, testified effective in myopia control, slow down the growth rate of myopia degree. Based on computer depth estimation, multispectral refraction topography (MRT) technology can provide more accurate data containing more refractive information, especially the peripheral retina counterpart.
This study focused on the theory supporting OK lenses in myopia control. The treatment efficiency comparison between OK lenses and single-focal glasses revealed the effect of OK lenses in delaying diopter development, reducing the growth rate of the eye axis, and controlling total retinal defocus values (TRDV). Meanwhile, the effect of periphery retina on myopia progression was proved on another side. The myopia control mechanism of OK lenses provides guides for technical improvement of OK lenses and new possibilities for more effective myopia control.
In this study, MRT was involved in predicting myopia development and guiding myopia control. It provides more accurate data on myopia progression than traditional optometry methods. It is a new attempt, showing a further use of MRT in myopia prevention and control.
In this study, MRT was creatively combined with myopia treatment to explore the mechanism of OK lenses in preventing myopia growth. MRT was used to accurately quantify the retina hyperopia defocus, confirming that reducing the defocus of peripheral hyperopia can delay the eye axis growth and increase diopter.
Statistically significant differences were detected in diopter increase between patients treated with OK lenses and single-focal glasses. Regardless of low- or moderate myopia in the initial period, OK lenses were more effective than frame glasses. Similarly, when no significant difference existed in the original ocular axial length between the two groups, growth of eye axis was delayed more distinctly in groups wearing OK lenses. OK lenses were also more effective in TRDV control, which was certificated to be linearly associated with hyperopic defocus values of the peripheral retina (15°-53°). Improvement of TRDV occurred evenly on four sides of the retina.
The effects of OK lenses on controlling myopia development, reducing diopter growth rate and ocular axial length, and improving patients’ TRDV were certificated again in this study. More evidence that OK lenses affected myopia development through working on the peripheral retina was given by the strong relationship between TRDV and peripheral hyperopic defocus values. Those data were very valuably detected by MRT with high correctness and accuracy.
This study provided new evidence for old theories and hypotheses and proved the high value of MRT in ocular research, especially myopia-associated ones. Thus, it has been planned to expand the study size for more accurate and reliable data. This data may provide a new angle about how myopia developed and further how to prevent and control myopia.