Hard contact lenses may be better than soft for young people

The question: More and more children are abandoning their glasses for contact lenses. What effect might different types of lenses have on nearsightedness, or myopia, which typically develops in adolescence?

This study: randomly assigned 116 children, averaging 11 years old, to wear either rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses or soft contacts for three years. Based on annual eye examinations, myopia progressed 29 percent more slowly in children who wore hard contacts than in those who wore soft lenses. The eye became more oval-shaped – one of the causes of nearsightedness – among the soft lens wearers than among the others.

Who may be affected by these findings? Children with myopia, which generally develops between ages 8 and 14.

Caveats: The study did not determine how many hours a day rigid lenses should be worn to slow myopia. Most of the benefit came during the first year, which suggests that the effect may not be permanent. Contact lens manufacturers Menicon, CIBA Vision and SOLA Optical helped fund the study.

Bottom line: Parents of children considering contacts may want to talk with an eye doctor about the benefits of gas-permeable rigid lenses.

Find this study in the December issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology; abstract available online at www.archophthalmol.com.

Learn more about contact lenses and myopia at www.mayoclinic.com and www.aoa.org.