Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact Lens Wear Improves Vision-Related Quality of Life

Defocus incorporated soft contact  (DISC) lenses significantly improve vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) in children with myopia compared with spectacle wear, according to a study published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. 

Researchers enrolled 110 children with myopia in a retrospective, cross-sectional study and stratified them into groups according to myopia treatment modality. A total of 54 participants who used DISC for myopia control (29 girls; mean age, 9 years) and 56 age- and sex-matched individuals who wore spectacles lenses were included in the analysis.

Participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations consisting of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement and cycloplegic refraction, and completed the pediatric refractive error profile (PREP 2) questionnaire. Patients used the PREP 2 questionnaire to report agreement with statements regarding vision, symptoms, personal appearance, performing activities, lens handling, peer perception, and overall satisfaction using a 5-point scale (1, strongly disagree; 5, strongly agree). Total scores were subtracted by 1 and multiplied by 4 to produce a quality of life scale (0, poor quality of life; 100, excellent quality of life).

Participants wearing DISC lenses reported significantly higher VRQOL than those wearing single vision spectacles in the categories of vision (78.13 vs 65.63), appearance (87.5 vs 67.19), activities (75 vs 59.38), peer perception (79.69 vs 68.75), and overall satisfaction (78.13 vs 65.63; P ≤.001 for all). The quality of life improved more for older participants according to vision, symptoms, handling, appearance, and overall score scales, and the interaction between treatment and age was statistically significant for the activities scale (P < 0.05).

Wearing DISC lenses “significantly improved the vision-related quality of life in Chinese children, compared with single-vision spectacles wear, for most of the survey scales, especially in the areas of appearance, peer perception and activities,” according to researchers. “The benefits provided by DISC lenses beyond efficacy in the retardation of myopia contribute to greater satisfaction than with single-vision spectacles for myopic children.”

Study limitations include a small sample size and retrospective nature.