Comparison of myopic control between orthokeratology contact lenses and defocus incorporated multiple segments spectacle lenses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in myopic control effects between orthokeratology (OK) contact lenses and defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted that included patients who had received OK lens, DIMS spectacle lens or single-vision spectacle treatments. A total of 54 eyes from 27 individuals, 38 eyes from 19 individuals and 42 eyes from 21 individuals were enrolled into the OK lens, DIMS and control groups, respectively. The primary outcomes were the changes in the spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AXL) among the groups. A repeated-measure ANCOVA was adopted to calculate the SER progression and AXL elongation of the OK lens group compared with the DIMS group. Results: The difference in the SER progression was clinically non-significant in the OK lens group compared with the DIMS and control groups (P = 0.001). The total AXL elongation results were similar between the OK lens and DIMS groups, but these were lower than in the control group (P = 0.005). The repeated-measure ANCOVA revealed that the SER progression difference during the study interval was clinically non-significant in the OK lens group when compared with the DIMS group (P = 0.028). The AXL elongation results between the OK lens and DIMS populations did not illustrate a significant difference (P = 0.607). In a subgroup analysis of moderate astigmatism, better AXL control was observed in the DIMS subgroup compared with the OK lens subgroup (P = 0.016). Conclusions: The OK lens demonstrated a clinically non-significant effect on the SER and AXL controls compared with the DIMS spectacle lens.