Effects of Myopia Control Spectacle Lenses on Peripheral Refraction and Contrast: Insights From Optical Modeling

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optics
• Vision Science

Background:

• Myopia is a growing global health concern.
• Current myopia control strategies aim to slow its progression.
• Lenslet-array spectacle lenses are a novel approach to myopia management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the optical mechanisms of lenslet-array spectacle lenses in myopia control.
• To examine how these lenses affect peripheral refraction and image contrast.
• To compare the optical performance of different lenslet-array designs.

Main Methods:

• Reconstruction of three commercial lenslet-array lenses (MiyoSmart, Stellest) and a single vision (SV) lens in Zemax OpticStudio.
• Simulation of spectacle wear using the Navarro eye model.
• Evaluation of peripheral refraction (M, J0) and image quality (PSF, MTF) under distance and near viewing conditions.

Main Results:

• Lenslet-array lenses induced fluctuating peripheral refractive errors (M values) compared to SV lenses.
• Only Stellest lenses showed minimal peripheral myopic defocus.
• Lenslet-array lenses reduced contrast at low spatial frequencies but enhanced contrast at higher frequencies.

Conclusions:

• Peripheral myopic defocus may not be the sole mechanism for myopia control by lenslet-array lenses.
• Altered contrast modulation, particularly reduced low-frequency contrast and preserved high-frequency detail, may be key optical cues.
• Further clinical studies are needed to confirm these hypothesized mechanisms for myopia progression control.