Efficacy and adverse reactions of peripheral add multifocal soft contact lenses in childhood myopia: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the efficacy of peripheral add multifocal soft contact lenses (SCLs) (excluding bifocal SCLs) with single vision contact lenses or spectacles in controlling myopia progression.

METHOD: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases until October 2023. The literature was thoroughly screened based on predetermined eligibility criteria. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for dichotomous data and weighted mean differences (WMD) for continuous data.

RESULTS: A total of 11 articles comprising 787 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Our pooled results demonstrated that the peripheral add multifocal SCLs groups exhibited significantly reduced refraction progression (MD = 0.20; 95%CI, 0.14 ∼ 0.27; P<0.001) and less axial length elongation (MD=-0.08; 95%CI, -0.09∼-0.08; P<0.001) compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in high-contrast logMAR distance visual acuity between the two groups (MD = 0.01; 95%CI, -0.00 ∼ 0.02; P = 0.19). However, the group using single-vision lenses had better low-contrast logMAR distance visual acuity compared to those using peripheral add multifocal SCLs (MD = 0.06; 95%CI, 0.02 ∼ 0.10; P = 0.004). Data synthesis using a random-effects model indicated an incidence of contact lens-related adverse events of 0.065 (95%CI, 0.048 ∼ 0.083).

CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis signifies that peripheral defocus modifying contact lenses are effective in slowing down the progression of myopia and reducing axial elongation.