Teenagers retain benefits of myopia control after stopping multifocal lenses

A recent analysis from the BLINK2 cohort study suggests that older teenagers who discontinue wearing multifocal soft contact lenses do not experience a rebound effect in eye growth or myopia progression.

The study included 248 children with myopia aged 11 to 17 who previously participated in the BLINK clinical trial. Participants wore high-add (+2.50 D) multifocal lenses for 2 years, followed by single-vision lenses for a third year. Researchers measured axial eye length and refractive error annually to assess changes.

There was a slight increase in axial elongation (0.03 mm per year) and myopia progression (-0.17 D per year) after switching to single-vision lenses. However, these rates were consistent with normal age-related changes and unaffected by prior treatment assignment. The original high-add group retained less myopia and shorter axial lengths compared to other groups throughout the study.

The findings indicate no loss of treatment benefits after discontinuing multifocal lenses, supporting their continued use until myopia stabilization.

Reference

Berntsen DA, Ticak A, Orr DJ, et al; Bifocal Lenses in Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study Group. Axial Growth and Myopia Progression After Discontinuing Soft Multifocal Contact Lens Wear. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2025;doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.5885. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39821272.