- Design
- Double-masked, multicentre randomised trial, 24 months
- Population
- 159 US children aged 6 to 12 with myopia −0.75 to −4.50 D
- Primary outcome
- Change in cycloplegic refraction and axial length
- Effect
- Refraction difference 0.64 D (95% CI 0.50 to 0.79); axial length −0.24 mm (−0.29 to −0.19)
Spectacle lenses with highly aspherical lenslets have shown benefit in East Asian children. This double-masked randomised trial at nine US sites tested them in 159 children aged 6 to 12 with myopia of −0.75 to −4.50 D, against single-vision lenses. Published in JAMA Ophthalmology on 1 October 2026.
At 24 months, myopia progressed by 0.25 D with lenslet spectacles and 0.90 D with single-vision lenses (difference 0.64 D, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.79), a 71% relative reduction. Axial elongation was 0.21 mm against 0.45 mm (difference −0.24 mm, −0.29 to −0.19), a 53% reduction. Best-corrected acuity was the same, and no serious or lens-related adverse events occurred. The authors report that the trial supported FDA authorisation of the device.
Two years is not long enough to show the effect holds through adolescence, and the trial excluded children with previous myopia treatment. Still, the result widens the evidence for spectacle-based control beyond one population. For Indian children, where myopia is rising and contact lenses or atropine may not suit every family, these spectacles are a reasonable option to discuss where available and affordable.
- Discuss lenslet myopia-control spectacles for children aged 6 to 12 with progressing myopia
- Explain that the trial lasted two years and longer data are awaited
- Monitor axial length to confirm response once treatment starts
- Combine with advice on outdoor time and near-work breaks
- Check local availability and cost before recommending a specific lens
Why it matters
It shows spectacle-based control works outside East Asian populations, widening a simple option for families.
Don't overread it
Two-year data only; the trial does not show the effect lasts through adolescence.
The statistics, in plain English
A 71% relative reduction means progression was about a third of that with ordinary spectacles over two years. The axial length difference of 0.24 mm, with a tight interval, is the more direct measure of eye growth.
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