If your targets are being met after one year of ortho-K, the modality is likely worth continuing; if results are suboptimal, consider a shift to different option or an addition of another modality to better control the progression of myopia, these researchers argue. Photo: Kevin Chan, OD, MS, and Steven Sorkin, OD. Click image to enlarge.

Orthokeratology (ortho-K) lenses have been a mainstay of efforts to slow axial elongation in children and are generally considered fairly predictable, but researchers in China recently wanted to understand the relationship between early and late results. So, in a recent study, they identified factors predictive of the long-term efficacy and found that short-term outcomes can be used to predict the long-term effectiveness of OK correction in children. The team’s paper on the work was recently published in Eye & Contact Lens.

A total of 157 myopic children between the ages of seven and 15 undergoing ortho-K correction for over three years were included. The short- and long-term effectiveness at one and three years post-ortho-K correction, respectively, was assessed. All participants were classified into two groups based on whether they exhibited good or poor long-term efficacy outcomes.

These findings showed that the efficacy of axial length (AL) control at one-year post-ortho-K correction and baseline data can predict the long-term status. Baseline spherical equivalent refraction, age and corneal curvature were not significantly associated with the long-term efficacy of ortho-K lens correction.

“After wearing ortho-K lenses for one year, 77 children presented with effective axial elongation control, indicating a short-term good efficacy rate of 49.04%,” the researchers wrote. “After wearing ortho-K lenses for three years, 78 children maintained effective axial elongation control, indicating a long-term good efficacy rate of 49.68%.” These results underscore the efficacy of ortho-K as an approach to controlling axial elongation, the team suggests in their paper.

Baseline AL was identified as a predictor of the long-term efficacy of corrective ortho-K treatment in myopic children. “Specifically, individuals who exhibited good long-term corrective efficacy also presented with longer baseline AL values, in line with prior reports,” the authors wrote. “The theoretical explanation for these findings is that eyes with a longer AL exhibit a steeper corneal curvature at the periphery, providing greater benefit the peripheral retina blur, thus slowing AE and the progression of myopia.”