Plus lenses, prisms, and bifocal effects on myopia progression in military students

Students of the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) class of 1978 to 1979 were randomly divided into three groups, one-third of the class receiving their correlation for distant vision with a no. 1 pink tint to be used for reading (the placebo group); one-third of the class receiving +1.25 D added to their distance correction with 2 delta base-in each eye, in glasses to be used for reading; and one-third of the class receiving bifocals, incorporating their distance correction with a +1.50 D near addition. The refractive error at distance for all 232 students was determined under cycloplegia. At the end of 5 months, a repeat cycloplegic refraction showed nonsignificant myopic shifts (Wilcoxon test) of -0.08 +/- 0.29 D in the placebo group, -0.07 +/- 0.25 D in the plus-with-prism group, and -0.06 +/- 0.18 D in the bifocal group. This research note is preliminary to a followup at academic graduation of these same students from the Naval Academy in 1983.