Bifocal Soft Contact Lenses and Their Effect on Myopia Progression in Children and Adolescents.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether bifocal soft contact lenses are effective in controlling the progression of myopia in children and adolescents that exhibit a tendency to excessively cross their eyes while reading (esophoria or eso fixation disparity). Several studies have demonstrated that bifocal or progressive multifocal spectacles are effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children either with near point esophoria and/or with inadequate focusing at near. A prominent theory for one cause of myopia progression is that poorly focused images on the back of the eye (retina) cause the eye to lengthen, causing an increase in myopia. Bifocal contact lenses may reduce this retinal defocus, reducing the stimulus to eye elongation, and thus may reduce myopia progression.