New FDA-approved glasses can slow nearsightedness in kids

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MATTHEW PERRONE
Updated 11:00 PM CST, November 30, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — For many children, the experience of getting their first pair of glasses is an inevitable milestone, the first in a lifetime of visits to the eye doctor.

But what if those lenses could actually help preserve the child’s vision and reduce the chances for more serious eye problems in adulthood?

That’s the promise of a new type of lens approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September. While the technology has previously been available in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, it’s now rolling out in the U.S.

Here’s what to know about the new approach.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/essilor-stellest-glasses-myopia-nearsightedness-c1c04fd52a022860a5654b21e4f68179

[intrepidity]

1. Sounds promising

As one with progressive myopia since 3rd grade, new stronger Rx every year, who later suffered retinal detachment and cataracts....wish this had been sooner, but happy that it will help kids now.

Over time, myopia causes the eye to grow longer, worsening vision and increasing the risk of tears to the retina — the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is essential for vision.

The new lenses use 11 concentric rings filled with tiny raised dots to refocus light onto the retina in a way that is believed to slow elongation of the eye.

“Whether this hypothesis is ultimately proven to be true, of course, matters only in part,” Repka said, noting that the lenses appear to work regardless of how the underling science works.

In the company study, children wearing the lens showed a 50% reduction in eye lengthening when measured after two years. Currently, researchers in the U.S. and other countries are conducting their own independent studies to confirm those results.

[IbogaProject]

2. Kids need to shift their focus

Last edited Tue Dec 2, 2025, 01:04 AM - Edit history (1)

There was a study comparing kids from same ethnic group in Singapore and Australia. The ones in Australia had less myopia. It was their focusing far and near back and forth while at play. I saw the paper and a Dr from my kid's class gave me the focus far and near. I taught my kid to look at details on buildings here in NYC and shift to details in super close. He broke two generations of myopia, two parents & four grand parents. Eye Dr said he is in the clear until middle age around 13 or 14.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. "clise" ? I'm interested to know what you really meant to type. nt

[IbogaProject]

4. Close

Close after focusing far like down a city block, across a field or up at the top of a multi story building. Back and forth a few or more timea more days than not.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. OK, I should have gotten that on my own. For some reason I was trying out all kinds of consonants ...

and completely ignored the vowel.

TBOMK you are quite right about using both near and far vision as a deliberate exercise. As a child I was an indoor-dwelling bookworm and was forced to start using glasses just to see the blackboard in 3rd grade. Only in later years did I learn that exercising distant vision was so important. It's interesting that members of many pre-literate societies had/have famously good vision -- especially desert and plains nomads, who had need to constantly check the horizon.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Obvious question -- what about people with established myopia ? Would they have any effect ? nt