Acute and short-term changes in visual function with multifocal soft contact lens wear in young adults.
OBJECTIVE
To characterise the effects on accommodation and binocular vision in young adults of 2 distance centre multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCLs), differing in add power.


METHODS
Twenty-four young adult myopes (18-28 years; 20 females, 4 males) had baseline visual acuity, accommodation, near phoria, fixation disparity and stereopsis data collected with single vision (SV) SCLs. The same set of measurements was repeated immediately after subjects were fitted with each of two MFSCLs (with either +1.50 or +3.00 D add), and after 2 weeks of daily wear in each case. The order of testing was randomised and a one-week washout period was allowed between the first and second MFSCL trials.


RESULTS
Differences in distance and near acuities with MFSCLs compared to SVSCLs were small and clinically insignificant. Compared to responses with SVSCLs, MFSCLs increased accommodative lags with this change reaching statistical significance for the +1.50 D add lens. Furthermore, both MFSCLs induced significant shifts in near phorias in the exo direction. Finally, there were no significant differences in stereopsis and fixation disparity with MFSCLs compared to SVSCLs.


CONCLUSIONS
Differences in acuities, accommodation accuracy and binocular posture with MFSCLs compared to SVSCLs were clinically small and mostly not significant. These results predict good tolerance of MFSCLs in young patients fitted with them for myopia control.
School of Optometry University of California, Berkeley, USA; School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: p.kang@unsw.edu.au.
Pauline
P
Kang
School of Optometry University of California, Berkeley, USA.
Christine F
CF
Wildsoet
D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015357:Vision Disparity / Q000502:physiology; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
Accommodation; Binocular vision; Multifocal soft contact lenses; Myopia; Myopia control