Bifocals may correct nearsightedness among kids
By IANSTuesday, January 12, 2010
TORONTO - Bifocal glasses may be effective in slowing the onset of myopia or nearsightedness among children, according to a new study.
Myopia is common among children, with prevalence as high as 50-60 percent by the age of 12 years in East Asian countries, the report says.
Prevalence is also high among Asian children living in Western countries. Bifocals — glasses with two different corrective powers — and multifocals have been tested as remedy for myopia in kids with relatively ineffective results.
Desmond Cheng and his colleagues of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) conducted a randomized controlled clinical trial among 135 Chinese Canadian children of average age 10.3 years.
Children were assigned to one of three treatment groups: 41 wore single-vision lenses, 48 wore bifocals and 46 wore bifocals with prism, which helps the eyes work together, said an HKPU release.
Of the 135 children, 131 completed the 24-month study. Progression of myopia was most rapid among those who wore single-focus lenses, slower among those who wore bifocals and slowest among those who wore prismatic bifocals.
The findings appeared in the January issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, a JAMA & Archives journals.
