Improved myopia control via peripheral image quality assessment

We propose a study of the ocular optics in children to decipher the worldwide increase of myopia (nearsightedness).

The overall aim is to reduce the prevalence of high myopia through the development of a screening method both for early identification and for the choice of treatment scheme for children-at-risk.

The hypothesis is that certain biomarkers in the optical image quality make the young eye more susceptible to develop myopia and that these biomarkers can be counteracted through optical manipulation of the peripheral image quality, i.e. specialized spectacles and contact lenses for myopia control.

However, the protective mechanisms of these lenses are still unknown, leading to limited efficacy and large variations between individuals and ethnicities.

We will therefore develop novel instrumentation to assess the optical quality over the visual field in children at risk of developing high myopia who start using myopia control interventions and correlate with the refractive development of the individual child.

The study will benefit from the long and unique optical experience of the Visual Optics Group at KTH in collaboration with well-established clinical experience of ophthalmologists and opticians.

Based on the data generated within this project we will develop guidelines for clinicians in when and how to treat children-at-risk of high myopia. The results will also be essential to improve the optical design of the current optical myopia control interventions.