Parents open to contact lens use for myopia control in young children

Parents in Hong Kong are open to the use of contact lenses for myopia control in young children, according to a new study by researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China.

The study looked at attitudes to the use of orthokeratology, daily wear soft lenses, and spectacles for myopia control, assuming all three optical strategies were equally effective.

Orthokeratology was the most well-known and preferred myopia control strategy among the 196 parents surveyed. They received information mainly by word of mouth from friends and relatives, and from media coverage.

But parents were conservative when it came to the use of contact lenses for vision correction only. Most parents said children might start contact lens wear at the age of 15 years or later, and that contact lenses were not indicated for children younger than 8 years.