Published: 2025 | JAMA Ophthalmology (Vol. 143, No. 2, pp. 163)
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is growing fast worldwide, and experts think half the planet could have it by 2050. Kids with myopia can face bigger eye problems later, like retinal detachment. The BLINK study showed that soft multifocal contact lenses with a high add (+2.50 D) slowed myopia in kids by 0.46 D and eye lengthening (axial length) by 0.23 mm over 3 years compared to regular single-vision lenses. But what happens when kids stop using them? A new study, BLINK2, digs into that, and Lori Ann F. Kehler, OD, and David K. Wallace, MD, MPH, share their thoughts in JAMA Ophthalmology (2025).
The Study: Tracking Eyes After Treatment
BLINK2 followed 84% of the original 294 kids from BLINK, now aged 10–14. After finishing BLINK, all wore high-add multifocal lenses for 2 more years, then switched to single-vision lenses for 1 year. The focus was on axial length (how long the eye grows), which matters more now for myopia control than just refractive error (glasses prescription). After 6 years total, kids from the high-add group had eyes 0.31 mm shorter and 0.71 D less myopia than the single-vision group. In the last year (single-vision only), eyes grew just 0.03 mm and myopia worsened by 0.17 D on average, no matter their original group.
What It Means
The BLINK2 team says the growth after stopping multifocal lenses was small—good news! The high-add lenses’ benefits stuck around. But the original slowdown was also small, and many kids were older teens by the end, when myopia usually slows anyway. This might not apply to younger kids who stop earlier. Other treatments, like atropine drops or red light, often see a bigger “rebound” (myopia speeding up again), but optical options like multifocal lenses seem steadier and easier to stick with since kids need them to see.
Why It’s Important
Slowing myopia matters, but no treatment stops it completely yet. BLINK2 hints that multifocal lenses could help long-term without big setbacks after stopping. The real win would be proving these efforts cut serious eye risks later—something we still don’t know.
Takeaway for Eye Lovers
Multifocal lenses slow myopia and hold up after kids switch back to regular lenses. Check out JAMA Ophthalmology (2025) for more!