Effect of peripheral defocus on axial growth in hyperopes

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The effect of peripheral defocus on axial growth and modulation of refractive error in hyperopes

• IRAS ID

  187441

• Contact name

  Ian Beasley

• Contact email

  beasleyi@aston.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Aston University

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  NCT02686879

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is a common type of refractive error where distant objects are seen more clearly than objects at near.

  Hyperopia is a known risk factor for amblyopia, (lazy eye), which may occur as a result of a squint (turn), or due to different levels of hyperopia between each eye (anisohyperopia).

  Hyperopia and anisohyperopia often persist into adulthood resulting in impairment to binocular vision. Current management involves prescribing spectacles or contact lenses to correct the hyperopia in each eye, usually as a lifelong intervention.

  In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in delaying progression of myopia (short-sightedness) by slowing eye growth using a particular type of contact lens termed a centre-distance multifocal design. There have been encouraging results in this area to date.

  The proposed study here would explore the use of centre-near multifocal design contact lenses to encourage eye growth, thereby reducing hyperopia. There are three elements to the research:
  1. The natural progression of axial growth and refractive error will be measured in spectacle-wearing hyperopic and anisohyperopic subjects aged between 5 and 19. In other words, the natural growth of the eye will be followed without intervention
  2. As a paired eye control study anisohyperopes aged between 8 and 15 will be fitted with a centre-near multifocal design contact lens in their more hyperopic eye and a single vision contact lens in the fellow eye, if required. The progression of axial growth and refractive error will be measured and compared
  3. Subjects’ aged between 8 and 15 with similar levels of hyperopia in each eye will be fitted with centre-near multifocal design contact lenses in each eye. The progression of axial growth and refractive error will be measured and compared to subjects in the natural progression study

• REC name

  West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/WM/0162

• Date of REC Opinion

  26 May 2016

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion