Effect of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (Fog Vision +0.50 D) Combined With 0.01% Atropine on the Preclinical and Early Stages of Myopia in Children

Purpose To retrospectively analyze the efficacy of multi-zone positive optical defocus lenses (DIMS) + fog vision + 0.01% atropine for the treatment of children with preclinical and early stages of myopia. Methods The axial length (AL) and refraction were analyzed at baseline and after 12 months of follow-up in 192 eyes treated with combined therapy. The success of treatment was defined as an annual AL growth rate within the physiological growth range and myopia progression of −0.50 diopters (D)/year or greater. Subgroup analysis was performed to investigate the percentage of treatment success in the overall population compared to the subgroups based on baseline AL and age. Results Overall, the success rates were 87% and 93% for AL control and myopia control, respectively. Compared to before combined therapy, there was an increase in AL after treatment (boys: P < .001; girls: P < .001). The change in spherical equivalent (SE) was consistent with the change in AL, with both boys and girls showing an increase in SE after treatment, with a statistically significant difference in girls (boys: P = .059; girls: P = .001). There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of treatment success in either boys or girls based on baseline AL and age subgroups compared to the overall population. Conclusions The treatment regimen of DIMS + fog vision + 0.01% atropine demonstrated significant control effects on myopia in preclinical and early stages of myopia in children across different genders, baseline ALs, and ages. Timely intervention is recommended once a tendency toward myopia is observed in children.