NaturalVue Lenses Slow Refractive Progression by Over 1.00 D, PROTECT Study Finds

Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

September 30, 2026

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Visioneering Technologies, Inc. (VTI) has announced the final three-year results of its PROTECT (PROgressive Myopia Treatment Evaluation for NaturalVue Multifocal Contact Lens Trial) study. The prospective, double-masked, multinational randomized controlled trial has been evaluating the NaturalVue® (etafilcon A) Multifocal 1 Day Contact Lens in myopic children.

Ashley Tuan, OD, MS, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of VTI, will present the findings at the American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.

Landmark Results Across Key Measures^1,2  

Over three years, children wearing NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day demonstrated the following compared with a virtual control group:

• 1.06D less myopic refractive progression (95% CI 0.86 to 1.25, p < 0.001)
• 0.58 mm less axial elongation (95% CI −0.66 to −0.49, p < 0.001)

The completed three-year PROTECT results deliver robust clinical evidence across both cycloplegic refractive error and axial length, the two key measures of myopia progression.^3,4

Pioneering Optical Design, Now Backed by Randomized Controlled Clinical Evidence

With the successful completion of the PROTECT clinical trial, NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day stands alone as the first and only catenary power curve soft contact lens design^5,6 to demonstrate >1.00D less myopic refractive progression over three years.^1,2

“The PROTECT clinical trial adds important three-year double-masked, randomized controlled evidence to what we know about NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day,” said Ashley Tuan, OD, MS, PhD. “What is especially meaningful is the breadth of the findings. We see a large refractive treatment effect together with significant slowing of axial elongation to the expected level for emmetropic children of these ages and ethnicities, providing a more complete picture of NaturalVue’s performance in children with myopia.”

Every Diopter Matters

How much myopia a child develops over time matters for long-term ocular health. Independent of any single treatment, published research underscores the importance of magnitude. Slowing myopia by 1.00D is estimated to reduce the likelihood of developing myopic maculopathy by approximately 40%⁷ and the risk of retinal detachment by approximately 23%.⁸

“Every diopter matters, which is why the magnitude of the completed PROTECT clinical trial results is important,” said Brett O’Connor, OD, FAAO,* Smith Eye Associates, Ponte Vedra, FL. “NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day demonstrated 1.06D less myopic refractive progression versus control at three years, along with a 0.58 mm reduction in axial elongation versus control.^1,2 For eyecare professionals managing pediatric progressive myopia, the amount of progression you can reduce matters for better long-term eye health and quality of life.”

Meaningful Results for Myopic Children

In the PROTECT clinical trial, children wearing NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day showed eye growth similar to non-myopic children over 36 months:^1,2

• 59% progressed ≤0.25D per year on average, consistent with the threshold commonly used to define non-progressive myopia.⁹
• 55% had axial growth within the emmetropic benchmark of the study.^1,2
• Across all age groups studied, average axial growth trends stayed within published emmetropic growth ranges.^10,11

Protecting Vision for Tomorrow

The completed PROTECT clinical trial equips eyecare professionals with a powerful evidence base to guide the long-term myopia-management decisions they make for children every day.

“Correcting a child’s myopia today is only part of the opportunity,” said Jeff Pruett, Chief Operating Officer of VTI. “The broader goal is managing how much myopia each child develops over time, to protect their vision for tomorrow. The PROTECT study gives eyecare professionals substantial new evidence to guide that choice, with results that are both statistically and clinically significant. It was rigorously designed: large, multinational, double-masked, randomized and controlled, and independently conducted, monitored and managed. Now more than ever, it’s time to prescribe NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day.”

To download a Fact Sheet summarizing the findings to date, click here.

Notes

This information may describe uses for this product, including myopia progression control, that the FDA has not approved for use in the United States. It is intended for educational purposes only.

*Dr. O’Connor is a paid consultant of Visioneering Technologies, Inc.

Results are from a single randomized trial and may not apply to patients outside the studied population. Individual results may vary. See the full PROTECT study report for study limitations, and the package insert for indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions.

** Values based on per-protocol cohort: baseline ages 7 to <13, baseline refraction −0.75D to −5.00D, n = 102 (p < 0.001).

† 36-month control values were derived from several complementary analyses, including SVCL projections (24-month SVCL patient data projected to 36 months) and a DyNaSynth™ Synthetic control matched to the SVCL group’s baseline characteristics. The modeled control trajectories showed a high degree of concordance with published virtual control models. 

References

1. Data on file. PROTECT 3-Year Results, 2026. Data adjusted for key variables, including age, sex, ethnicity, country, study site, and baseline value. Per-protocol cohort, baseline age 7–<13 years, −0.75D to −5.00D, n = 102 (p < 0.001). All data vs. virtual control group. 36-month single-vision contact lens control values were derived from several complementary analyses, including SVCL projections (24-month SVCL patient data projected to 36 months) and a DyNaSynth™ virtual control matched to the SVCL group’s baseline characteristics. The modeled control trajectories showed a high degree of concordance with published virtual control models.
2. Tuan KA, Novak S, Chan J, Dillehay SM; PROTECT Study Group. PROTECT Completed 3-Year Study Results: A Catenary-Curve Multifocal Contact Lens Reduces Pediatric Myopia Progression and Mitigates Common Risk Factors. Poster presented at: American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting; September 30–October 3, 2026; Anaheim, California.
3. Walline JJ, Robboy MW, Hilmantel G, et al. Food and Drug Administration, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Optometry, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, American Optometric Association, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists Co-Sponsored Workshop: Controlling the Progression of Myopia: Contact Lenses and Future Medical Devices. Eye Contact Lens. 2018;44(4):205–211. doi:10.1097/ICL.0000000000000511.
4. Wolffsohn JS, Kollbaum PS, Berntsen DA, et al. IMI – Clinical Myopia Control Trials and Instrumentation Report. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019;60(3):M132–M160. doi:10.1167/iovs.18-25955.
5. Irving EL, Yakobchuk-Stanger C. Myopia progression control lens reverses induced myopia in chicks. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2017;37(5):576–584. doi:10.1111/opo.12400.
6. Patents Awarded – MULTIFOCAL OPHTHALMIC LENS WITH INDUCED APERTURE. See https://vtivision.com/about/patents/ for patent numbers. 
7. Bullimore MA, Brennan NA. Myopia Control: Why Each Diopter Matters. Optom Vis Sci. 2019;96(6):463–465. doi:10.1097/OPX.0000000000001367. 
8. Bullimore MA, Ritchey ER, Shah S, et al. The Risks and Benefits of Myopia Control. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(11):1561–1579. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2021.04.032. 23% number is a derived number.  The paper reports that each 1 D of myopia increases retinal detachment incidence by 30%. The 23% reduction is the inverse (1 − 1/1.30).
9. Chen J, Liu S, Zhu Z, et al. Axial length changes in progressive and non-progressive myopic children in China. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2023;261(5):1493–1501. doi:10.1007/s00417-022-05901-5.
10. Naduvilath T, He X, Saunders K, et al. Age, gender and regional/ethnic variations in emmetropic axial growth rate. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2025;45(6):1485–1495. doi:10.1111/opo.13545.
11. Zadnik K, Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Jones LA, Burr D, Moeschberger ML. Normal eye growth in emmetropic schoolchildren. Optom Vis Sci. 2004;81(11):819–828. doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000145028.53923.67.

 

Read more of the latest myopia news here