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Vision CRC breakthrough technology controls myopia in
children
Scientists from the Vision Cooperative Research Centre (Vision
CRC) in Australia have announced that myopia, or short-sightedness,
can be controlled with new technology. This ground breaking
discovery was based on research conducted by Vision CRC partners -
the University of Houston College of Optometry and the Brien Holden
Vision Institute, located at the University of New South
Wales.
Myopia affects over 1.6 billion people globally, with two thirds of
those affected living in the Asia region. If unchecked, the number
is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2020.
There are 177 million people affected in India, which equates to
15% of the population.
Successful basic research on the nature and cause of myopia has led
to the discovery that the peripheral retinal image plays a major
part in stimulating eye growth and myopia. Large scale clinical
trials testing both spectacles and contact lenses designed to
control the position of the peripheral image and involving over 500
children in China and Australia, have produced promising
results.
With myopia, instead of a distant image being focused on the
retina, as it needs to be for clear vision, it is focused in front
of the retina. Myopia often occurs when children commence school
(ages six to seven), and if left undetected the condition
progresses and can adversely impact the child's education and
social development.
Professor Brien Holden, CEO of the Vision CRC, explained further,
"For hundreds of years focusing defects of the eye have been
corrected by simply moving the visual image backwards and forwards
with spectacle lenses. Professor Earl Smith from the University of
Houston College of Optometry, has demonstrated that if we move the
central image onto the retina but leave the peripheral image behind
the retina, the peripheral image can drive the eye to elongate,
causing myopia to increase."
"The beauty of this new technology is that it addresses this
problem by bringing the peripheral image forward, onto or even in
front of the retina, and at the same time independently positioning
the central image on the retina giving clear vision.
"The commercialisation of this technology is a most important
outcome for the CRC program because of the potential vision and eye
health benefits," Professor Holden said.
Professor Holden announced that the breakthrough technology has
been licensed to Carl Zeiss Vision (CZV) and developed into the
first spectacle lens of its kind through a joint project with CZV
lens designers. This new spectacle lens will be launched under the
ZEISS brand name throughout Asia from April of this year.
The Vision CRC has also licensed its myopia control technology to
CIBA VISION for contact lens applications.
Professor Holden added, "Myopia can be a serious eye condition.
High myopia significantly increases the risk of cataract, glaucoma,
and retinal detachment, all potentially blinding conditions and the
public health risk is significant."
Dr Padmaja Sankaridurg, Head of the Myopia Program at Vision CRC,
emphasised the nature of the new technology's appeal. "Our unique
lens designs act to curve or shift the peripheral image forward,
thereby removing the stimulus to axial elongation and myopia
progression," she said.
"We are continuing testing in Chinese and Australian children and
young adults. So far, the trials have found that the first
spectacle lens prototypes based on this new technology slow the
rate of progress of myopia by 30% in children six to 12 years of
age, where the child has a history of parental myopia," she
said.
Professor Smith, from the University of Houston, commented,
"Evidence shows that the number of individuals with myopia will
dramatically escalate with increasing urbanisation and less outdoor
activity".
"As urbanisation has increased in China, the prevalence and average
amount of myopia has also increased. Recent evidence indicates that
similar trends are occurring in the US and Australia. This ongoing
epidemic of vision loss is associated with spiralling health and
social costs, especially in many developing countries where over
80% of children have no correcting spectacles or contact lenses,"
he said.
"This new technology is not just for children either. Over 25% of
myopes in the Western world are adult-onset myopes, which often
begins at University. We believe that this technology has potential
benefits for all myopes," Professor Smith said.