The Role of Spectacle Lenses in the Control and Management of Myopia Progression: A Narrative Review

The number of people affected by myopia worldwide is estimated to reach two billion and to further grow. Therefore, numerous treatment approaches (pharmacological, behavioral, environmental, and optical) have been put forth to slow the progression of myopia, especially in children. Among these, spectacle lenses represent a straightforward and less intrusive therapeutic approach for children and their parents. For this reason, in recent years, several spectacle lenses with different technologies have been developed to slow myopia progression and enhance the quality of life for myopic children, thus trying to reduce the related health care burden. According to the published scientific literature, three different types of spectacle lenses are currently the most validated optical options for myopia management: (i) Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments lenses (DIMS), (ii) Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target lenses (HALT) and (iii) Cylindrical Annular Refractive Elements (CARE) lenses. The aim of this narrative review is to exclusively discuss the scientific evidence of these three different spectacles lenses, and to point out the potential benefits and drawbacks in their use for myopia control and management.