Originally published January 18 2005
Rigid contact lenses may improve the vision of nearsighted children
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
New research indicates nearsighted children could benefit greatly from rigid contact lenses. A three-year study of more than a hundred 8- to 11-year-olds revealed that children who wore rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses saw the progression of their myopia slow down by nearly 30 percent. As a result, the researchers conclude that soft contact lenses may not be best for the younger generation.
New research suggests that rigid gas permeable contact lenses may help slow the progression of nearsightedness, or myopia, in young children.
At the end of a three-year study of more than a hundred 8- to 11-year olds, researchers determined that wearing rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses slowed the progression of myopia by nearly 30 percent, compared to soft contact lens wear.
The corneas of the rigid contact lens wearers did not change as much as those of the soft contact lens wearers.
This difference, which is not thought to be a permanent change, explains part of the difference between the RGP and soft contact lens wearers, said Jeffrey Walline, the study's lead author and an adjunct assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University.
He and his colleagues caution that the RGP lenses won't stop myopia in its tracks, and also that the effects of these lenses probably aren't permanent.
But the researchers also say that RGP lenses could be a good option for nearsighted children who can adapt to wearing them.
"Severe myopia, which is fairly rare, can lead to a detached retina and permanent vision loss or glaucoma," Walline said.
The researchers evaluated 116 children who participated in the Contact Lens and Myopia Progression (CLAMP) Study at Ohio State.
A nearsighted eye is typically longer than a normal eye, which results in blurred vision when looking at distant objects.
"The RGP contact lenses did not do that.
However, they did maintain the shape of the cornea, whereas the cornea of the soft contact lens wearers became more curved.
The researchers aren't sure how many hours a day a child would have to wear RGP lenses in order to slow the progression of nearsightedness.
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