Snake oil is an expression that originally referred to fraudulent health products or unproven medicine but has come to refer to any product or treatment with a questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit. When I speak with eyecare professionals regarding contact lenses, pharmaceutical products, spectacles, or treatment guidelines for progressive myopia, I am surprised by how much snake oil exists. Several products and interventions which have been proposed for reducing the progression of myopia in the past were either found through randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) not to be effective at all, or the effects were so small that they are not recommended as a routine treatment for myopic children. Read More