Washington– For many children, the experience of getting their first pair of glasses is an inevitable milestone, their first ever visit to the eye doctor.
But what if these lenses could actually help preserve a child’s vision and reduce the chances of developing more serious eye problems in adulthood?
That’s the promise of a new type of lens approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September. While this technology was previously available in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world, it is now available in the United States
Here’s what to know about the new approach.
Nearsightedness, commonly called nearsightedness, occurs when people can see objects clearly at close range but have difficulty seeing objects far away, which often appear blurry or blurred.
Studies conducted around the world have shown rising rates of myopia, which researchers have linked to increased time spent indoors looking at screens, books, and other objects close to the eyes.
In the United States, 30% to 40% of children will be nearsighted by the time they finish high school, according to Dr. Michael Repka, a professor and pediatric ophthalmologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Until now, doctors have had few options for treating this condition.
“It was normal and simple: Your child needs to wear glasses and they will get along with it,” Rebka said. “It will last a lifetime, and will likely get worse over the next few years.”
The specialty glasses, sold under the Essilor Stellest brand, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to slow myopia in children ages 6 to 12 years.
The FDA said it cleared the lenses based on company data that showed children saw a 70% reduction in the progression of their myopia after two years.
Over time, myopia causes the eye to grow longer, worsening vision and increasing the risk of tearing the retina – the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is essential for vision.
The new lenses use 11 concentric rings filled with small, raised dots to refocus light on the retina in a way that is thought to slow the eye’s elongation.
“Whether or not this hypothesis ultimately proves true only partly matters,” Repka said, noting that the lenses seem to work regardless of how the underlying science works.
In the company’s study, children wearing the lenses showed a 50% reduction in eye lengthening when measured after two years. Currently, researchers in the United States and other countries are conducting their own independent studies to confirm these findings.
Eye doctors say the potential benefits go beyond preserving vision to avoiding some of the long-term consequences of high myopia, which can include cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal detachment that can lead to blindness.
“We now have a way to slow that down and maybe we can prevent kids from getting that long eye that puts them at risk for blindness,” said Dr. Roba Wong, a pediatric ophthalmologist in Honolulu.
The suggested retail price is $450, according to EssilorLuxottica, the company that makes the lenses.
Major vision insurance providers in the United States are expected to cover lenses for children who meet prescription criteria.
The only other product approved by the FDA to slow myopia are contact lenses made by a company called MiSight. Daily disposable lenses, approved in 2019, use a similar approach aimed at slowing the progression of myopia in children ages 8 to 12.
But Gupta says many parents and doctors are likely to prefer glasses.
“A lot of people might be hesitant to put contact lenses on a child as young as 8, so glasses provide a really great alternative,” she said.
Some doctors prescribe medicated eye drops intended to slow myopia, but these drops have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Under the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval decision, the lenses can be prescribed to any nearsighted child within the recommended age range. There were no serious side effects, according to the FDA, although some children reported visual disturbances, such as halos around objects while wearing lenses.
The studies reviewed by the FDA for approval were conducted in Asia. U.S. ophthalmologists and optometrists may want to do some additional research, Repka said.
“I think before they can be widely used, we’ll need some data in the United States” showing the lenses’ effectiveness, said Repka, who is conducting a study in the United States of the new lenses backed by the National Institutes of Health.
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