ALPHARETTA, Ga.—The lens design used for NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day Contact Lenses has been shown to fully reverse previously induced myopia in an animal model (chickens), according to research published in the September edition of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. The article’s lead author, Elizabeth L. Irving, OD, PhD, professor, University Research Chair, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, noted the finding was “quite significant.”

The publication, “Myopia progression control lens reverses induced myopia in chicks,” can be accessed at the publication website. The study was supported in part by a grant from Visioneering Technologies, Inc. (VTI), based here.

The study, initiated by Dr. Irving, was a follow-up to milestone research she published previously that showed that the lens design was able to fully stop the development of up to 10D of myopia in the same animal model. The goal of the current research was to better understand the mechanism of the lens design when used for myopia and to determine if myopia could be reversed or reduced by the lens design.

“As scientists, it is our job to conduct vigorous research, replicate findings and uncover the reasons for outcomes achieved,” said Dr. Irving. “Our overriding conclusion from this study is that lens design, specifically what you do in the periphery, matters. Different versions of the lens design demonstrated almost a dose-response relationship, indicating that the actual lens design is important. Most notably, this study opens the door to the possibility of not just treating or slowing progression, but actually reversing myopia in humans.”

Sally Dillehay, OD, EdD, chief medical officer and vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs for VTI, also noted the significance of the findings. “To our knowledge, the results from this research with the NaturalVue Multifocal Lens design are the first in which myopia was fully reversed in an animal model,” said Dr. Dillehay. “We believe these findings are especially noteworthy as they come from respected vision care researchers who were highly skeptical when they entered into the study.”

The researchers noted that in both studies the lens design had demonstrated a robust method for decreasing and reversing myopia in the animal model. The effect was found to be primarily due to axial length changes, with different versions of the lens design producing different effects, indicating that actual lens design is important for desired results of modifying refractive error and axial length changes observed in the progression of myopia.