A clinical study has demonstrated that Shamir’s new myopia control lens – Optimee – can control the progression of myopia and ensure long-term vision retention in children as they progress to adulthood.1

According to Shamir, Optimee lenses have also been designed to support the patient’s overall wellbeing by promoting a natural posture and helping children feel more comfortable, natural, and confident when wearing glasses.

The lens is the first development project of Shamir’s ‘Kids’ product portfolio following “a holistic look at children to understand their needs and experiences” and how children perceive and feel about wearing glasses in different areas of their lives.

To develop the lens, the Shamir team worked with experts to analyse extensive research relating to the psychological and ergonomic aspects of child development, vision correction, and myopia management.

Information gathered included the views of American clinical psychologist Dr Monica Shahbaznia Alvarez, who specialises in family and child psychology, as well as paediatric psychology.

“When developing lenses for myopic children and adolescents, one must be careful firstly, to grapple with the emotional challenges children face and understand the impact on their self-image and self-esteem in relation to the sense of normality and belonging in their lives,” said Dr Alvarez.

“Children who wear glasses with regular myopia management lenses may have lower self-confidence, which in turn can affect their participation in social groups and sports. These glasses can also affect their physical wellbeing and appearance, especially if they have thick edges and distort the child’s face, which can be a trigger for teasing or bullying.”

Dr Orit Shenkar, an occupational therapist and ergonomics expert from Israel, observed, “There is more to seeing than just our eyes. Children tend to develop a variety of head and eye tilt combinations for different close-up tasks, and many studies demonstrate the detrimental effects of habitual severe neck flexion and repetitive postural habits. Poor posture habits can severely impact a child’s attention level and performance, which has far-reaching effects on the musculoskeletal system and other aspects of overall health. Since children’s bones and muscles are still developing, habitual posture is important for their future healthy development.”

A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Shamir Optimee integrates the next generation Shamir Focusflow defocus technology, which creates a clear central vertical zone with the child’s prescription. This area, called the central vertical canal, allows for flexible eye movement so children can concentrate on activities at close range and all distances without excessively flexing their necks. This unique non-concentric lens design results in significantly thinner edges than traditional myopia lenses, dramatically reducing the ‘cut-in’ effect, or the distorted facial contour that occurs with traditional myopia single vision lenses when looking at the child or a selfie.

Shamir Optimee is made using FreeForm technology and is completely transparent. Together, these innovations enable children to look and feel more natural. Lenses are also made with Shamir Metaform, making them up to 18 times stronger than the standard requirements specified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA),2 so children can safely wear their glasses, even when playing outdoors.

PROVEN EFFECTIVENESS

A clinical trial currently underway in Israel, led by Professor Yair Morad, is comparing the progression of myopia and axial elongation with Shamir Optimee with the progression seen in regular single vision lenses in 126 children aged six to 13 years.1

The key first year result showed axial lengthening slowed by an average of 43% in children under 10 years. Additionally, it showed that one in three toddlers experienced natural eye growth as if they were non-myopic. When both parents were myopic, prescription progression was on average 45% slower.

In terms of compliance, the children wore the Shamir Optimee glasses for an average of 14 hours per day, the same as with the single vision lenses. This shows they felt comfortable wearing Shamir Optimee.

QUALITY OF LIFE

“The holistic approach behind Shamir Optimee is primarily aimed at sustainably improving the quality of life of children. We not only look at the need for vision correction, but also look through users’ eyes at how they experience their daily activities. We also conduct extensive research and then apply the most advanced technologies to offer high-performance lenses for a variety of needs. In the case of these new lenses for children, we also considered the needs and concerns of parents,” said Yagen Moshe, Chief Executive Officer of Shamir.

The new lens is expected to be available in early 2024.

References available at mivision.com.au.