Study finds retinal functional changes with myopia control spectacle lenses

Different myopia control glasses change how the retina responds, with the HALT and Aura 6 lenses showed the most consistent retinal changes, according to a study.

Researchers enrolled 19 young adults with myopia. Participants wore 4 spectacle lens designs that induce peripheral myopic defocus using different lenslet patterns, including segmented defocus optics lenses (Aura 3 and Aura 6), defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS), and highly aspherical lenslet target (HALT). Retinal function was measured at baseline, after 30 minutes of lens wear, and after 15 days.

At 15 days, the Aura 6 lens was associated with an increase in full-field electroretinography (ERG) a-wave amplitude (P = 0.02), while the Aura 3 lens showed an increase in b-wave amplitude (P = 0.01). Short-term increases in pattern ERG amplitude (N35–P50 and P50–N95; P < 0.01) were observed with all lenses. Segmented defocus optics designs maintained higher responses at 15 days.

Global-flash multifocal ERG results varied by lens design. The HALT lens produced the strongest and most sustained amplitude increases in the midperipheral and peripheral retina (14.8°–30.0°), along with reduced implicit times at 30° (P = 0.03). Aura 6 produced progressive but partially transient amplitude increases, whereas Aura 3 showed delayed enhancements between 14.8° and 23.0°. The DIMS lens demonstrated early changes at 7.6°–14.8° and 23°–30°, though these effects diminished by 15 days.

Reference
Fernandes P, Marinho B, Alves-de-Carvalho RS, et al. Short-Term Changes in Retinal Activity With Four Myopia Control Spectacle Lenses. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2026;15(3):11. doi: 10.1167/tvst.15.3.11. PMID: 41805145.