Survey Shows Big Boost in Myopia Control Lens Fittings, But US Lags Behind

This chart from the study shows the country-specific disparities in adoption of myopia management contact lens prescribing. Data from 2020-2024 (percentages of all contact lens fits). Photo: Efron N, et al. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. May 31 2025. [Epub ahead of print]. Click image to enlarge. Identifying trends in myopia control measures can further inform contact lens research, assist practitioners in advancing clinical practice and guide manufacturers in research and development, marketing and ongoing planning. An international consortium has been conducting an annual survey of contact lens prescribing in up to 71 countries since 1996, and the fitting of contact lenses specifically for myopia control has been surveyed since 2011. In 2019, a paper on the prescribing of myopia control lenses from 2011 to 2018 was published.The paper’s authors decided to extend that report by six more years, thus providing an update of myopia control contact lens prescribing up to 2024. There was a remarkable increase in soft lens fitting for myopia control from 0% to 31.8% and orthokeratology (ortho-K) lens fitting for myopia control from 40.8% to 86.9% of all lenses prescribed to six-to-12-year-old children between 2011 and 2024; the researchers believe this represents a paradigm shift in the refractive management of children’s vision.This study, which was recently published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, incorporated an annual contact lens prescribing survey that was sent to eyecare practitioners in up to 71 countries between 2011 and 2024. Data was reported for 8,578 lens fits undertaken across 20 countries for six- to 12-year-old children and comprised of 688 soft myopia lens fits, 918 ortho-K fits and 6,972 non-myopia control lens fits. To assess current trends, the researchers also analyzed the proportion of fits between 2020 and 2024 for 12 countries returning ≥30 myopia control (n = 2,277 fits).There was a small increase in soft lens fitting from 0.0% in 2011 to 3.9% in 2016, a significant increase to 29.5% in 2021, and a slower increase to 30.4% in 2024. The proportion of ortho-K fits, in relation to all rigid lens fits, increased from 40.8% in 2011 to 86.9% in 2024. Of all soft lens fits, soft lens fits were 7.2% and 8.7% for men and women, respectively. There was a decrease in the percentage of soft lens fits with increasing age.“The decrease in the percentage of soft myopia control lens fits, from less than 50% in six- and seven-year-old children to 18.5 % in 12-year-old children, is not unexpected given the general ethos in myopia control to intervene as early as possible, with therapeutic efficacy decreasing with age,” the researchers noted in their paper.The proportions of all contact lens fits over the past five years (2020 to 2024) were as follows: soft lens fits, 24% (n = 525); ortho-K fits, 17% (n = 320) and non-myopia control lens fits, 59% (n = 1,332).“The data suggested a preference for soft lens fitting over ortho-K lens fitting for myopia control,” the researchers wrote. “The difference is only modest, indicating practitioner confidence and patient acceptance of both contact lens approaches for myopia control.”Precise reasons for differences in contact lens prescribing trends for myopia control across countries are difficult to identify, as numerous factors can affect the rate of uptake of soft myopia and ortho-K lenses. The higher uptake of contact lens prescribing for myopia control observed in some European countries compared to other parts of the world may be influenced by both regulatory and commercial factors, the authors point out in their paper. “In Europe, contact lenses specifically indicated for myopia control generally undergo a less complex approval process, enabling earlier market availability than in regions such as Japan or the United States,” they wrote.Click here for the journal source. Efron N, Morgan PB, Woods CA, et al. International trends in prescribing contact lenses for myopia control (2011–2024): an update. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. May 31 2025. [Epub ahead of print].