Myopia correcting contact lenses can slow down the progression of nearsightedness and astigmatism in school children, a Polytechnic University study has found. The two-year study, completed last year, involved children aged from eight to 11 with myopia more than 5.00D optical measurement. It found that myopia increased by an average 0.13D on the 12 children who used the lens with spectacles, while 16 wearing spectacles only increased by 1.00D. In another study on 58 children aged from six to 12 years old with myopia and astigmatism, the study found their myopia was slowed down by 52 per cent when comparing the 35 who used the lens and the 23 who wore spectacles. Treatment using the lens, called orthokeratology, involves tailor-made rigid contact lenses with high oxygen permeability prescribed by optometrists. “We conclude that orthokeratology can slow down the progression of myopia, but it cannot completely stop the myopia,” said Professor Pauline Cho Wong Hie-hua from the university’s school of optometry who conducted the study.