In-Vivo Evaluation of Peripheral Refraction Changes with Single Vision and Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses

Abstract

Purpose : This study investigated changes of peripheral refraction with various corrective power values when wearing commercially available single vision and multifocal soft contact lenses with different designs.

Methods : Using a commercial Shack-Hartmann aberrometer (COAS), wavefront aberrations were measured with and without soft contact lenses in an adult subject’s right eye. Measurements were conducted at the fovea and at 10^o, 20^o and 30^o nasal retinal eccentricity. Three different types of contact lenses were fitted: Acuvue Oasys Single Vision (ASV), Proclear Multifocal D +2.50 D add (PMD), and ArtMost SoftOK (SOK). Each lens type was fitted in corrective power values of -2.00 D, -4.00D and -6.00 D. Relative refractive errors were computed in power vector notation M, J₁₈₀, and J₄₅ from measured second order Zernike terms.

Results : ASV lenses consistently produced a slight relative myopic defocus up to 20^o retinal eccentricity (-0.29 D ± 0.03), without significant differences between the various lens power values. PMD lenses did not create clinically significant myopic defocus (at least -0.25 D), except for the -6.00 D lens which produced -0.46 D at 20^o retinal eccentricity. All SOK lenses produced significant relative myopic shifts at 20^o (-0.86 D ± 0.08) and 30^o (-1.36 D ± 0.15) retinal eccentricity, without significant difference between the various lens power values. For all lens types and power values, off-axis Astigmatism J₀ increased peripherally and reached clinical significance beyond 20^o retinal eccentricity. Within a particular lens type, the increased amount of J₀ did not differ significantly for the various dioptric lens power values. SOK lenses produced significantly higher amounts of J₀ at 30^o retinal eccentricity compared with ASV and PMD lenses (SOK vs. ASV vs. PMD: -1.67 D ± 0.09, -0.81 D ± 0.07, -0.72 D ± 0.15).

Conclusions : In general, relative peripheral refractions of ASV, PMD, and SOK soft contact lenses were independent of central corrective power values. An exception was the -6.00D PMD lens, which produced a higher myopic defocus at 20 degrees eccentricity. The SOK lenses used in this study demonstrated a stronger capability in producing relative peripheral myopic defocus at the far nasal retinal periphery. More studies are needed to identify optimal soft contact lens designs for producing adequate levels of peripheral myopic defocus for myopia progression control.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.