May 6, 2026
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2026 Annual Meeting is being held in Denver, Colorado, from May 3-7, 2026.
Myopia management is one of the most popular research topics at the event, with many leaders in the industry sharing their myopia-related findings. While the meeting featured hundreds of presentations and posters on myopia management, Review of Myopia Management will be highlighting several noteworthy research findings throughout the event.
Here are some of the research highlights from day three of ARVO (Tuesday, May 5, 2026).
Spectacle Lenses
Jennifer S. Hill, Debbie Laughton, Dechen Lucill Wang, Zhi Chen
Contrast modulation spectacle lenses (Diffusion Optics Technology; DOT) are designed to slow myopia progression by reducing contrast signaling in the retina. A 4-year multicenter clinical trial demonstrated DOT lenses are safe and effective at slowing the progression of myopia in North American children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the myopia control efficacy of DOT spectacle lenses in a Chinese population.
Over a 2-year period, the results from this study demonstrate that contrast modulation DOT lenses are effective in significantly slowing axial elongation and myopia progression compared to SV. These results support the hypothesis that modulating retinal contrast can successfully slow myopia progression in children.
Functional Vision Is Preserved With Multiple Myopia-Control Spectacle Designs
Antonio Benito, Eva Espinosa, Arturo Vicente-Jaen, Fuensanta A. Vera-Diaz, Peter Bex, Pablo Artal, Juan Tabernero
To assess the impact of three myopia-control spectacle (MCS) designs on everyday visual tasks, reading, mobility, and mid-peripheral contrast sensitivity, compared with standard single-vision lenses (SVL).
All three MCS designs produced visual performance comparable to habitual SVL across mid-peripheral contrast sensitivity, reading behavior, and eye- and head-movement patterns. Mobility tasks, including stair navigation, were similarly unaffected. These results suggest that current MCS designs do not compromise functional vision in everyday activities.
Dennis Yan-yin Tse, Ying Hon, Rachel Ka-man Chun, Tsz Wing Leung, Daisy Ka Yan Leung, Chi Ho To, Carly S Y Lam
Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments spectacle lens with Triple Enhanced Design (DIMS TED) was developed to improve myopia control efficacy. We conducted a double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate its efficacy in a clinical population.
On average, the DIMS TED group showed no myopia progression over 12 months; the △AL of the DIMS TED group over 12 months was below or comparable to emmetropic growth. These are the highest myopia-control efficacy results reported to date in myopic children wearing DIMS technology-based spectacle lenses. For the first time, the effect of DIMS technology-based spectacle lenses has been shown in children as young as 4 years old.
YONGJI LIU, Xiaoqin Chen, Dongyu Liu, Xiaoyan Yang, Lihua Li
To investigate the possible optical cues underlying the myopia-control effects of Myocare (MC) and Myocare S (MCS) spectacle lenses that incorporate Cylindrical Annular Refractive Elements (CARE).
The optical performance of MC and MCS lenses does not appear to support relative peripheral myopic defocus as the primary mechanism driving their clinical efficacy. Instead, reductions in PSF peak height—reflecting decreased image contrast at retinal temporal eccentricities of −20° and −15°—may contribute to the myopia-control effect of these CARE lenses.
Linlin Du, Xiangui He, Min Tong, Jun Chen, Jinliuxing Yang, Bo Zhang, Xinhui Huang, Wayne Li, Youhua Yang, Craig Woods, Nicole Liu, Arne Ohlendorf, Xun Xu, Padmaja Sankaridurg
To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel spectacle lens incorporating annular refractive elements in paracentral area and zones of plus power at periphery in slowing the progression of myopia as compared to single vision (SV) spectacle.
Results confirm that TAMER lenses significantly slow myopia. Furthermore, when children switched from TAMER to SV in Stage 2, the rate of progression was similar to the progression with SV observed in stage 1, indicating no rebound.
Xiaoqin Chen, Min Wu, Cui yu, Arne Ohlendorf, Wayne Li4, xingyi Guo1, Youhua Yang4, Yi Zhu4, Lihua Li1, Nicole Liu5, Padmaja Sankaridurg5,6
To evaluate the effectiveness of 3 years of spectacle lens (SPL) wear incorporating cylindrical annular refractive elements (CARE) in slowing the progression of myopia as compared to a single vision SPL.
MyoCare and MyoCare S spectacle lenses continue to slow myopia progression as compared to SV lenses during year 3, with greater efficacy observed with MyoCare lenses.
Low-Dose Atropine
Sonal Aswin Vyas, Yan Zhang, Christine Frances Wildsoet
Topical atropine, an antimuscarinic drug, is currently the only pharmacological treatment approved for myopia management, although its mechanisms and sites of action remain unclear. Our previous studies have shown bidirectional changes in Bone Morphogenic Protein 2(BMP2) gene expression in retinal pigment epithelium(RPE) cells during myopia development and recovery in both chicks and guinea pigs. The current study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of 0.05% topical atropine on myopic eye growth and RPE gene expression in guinea pigs
The attenuation of the defocus-induced RPE-BMP2 gene expression changes by topical atropine is suggestive of a retinal site of action, although the high variability in our gene expression data and relatively small sample size likely contributed to a negative statistical outcome, when difference in BMP2 gene expression between the two groups were compared
Repeated Low-Level Red Light Therapy
Zhipeng Lai, Zhouyue Li, Jian Cao, Yang Xiao
Repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy has shown clinical efficacy in myopia control, but its mechanisms remain unclear due to the lack of animal models that can replicate the precise, repetitive dosing regimen in a physiological state. We developed and applied a novel awake-behaving platform to deliver quantitative, chronic RLRL in a form-deprivation myopia (FDM) mouse model.
We have established the first awake animal platform for controlled, repeatable RLRL delivery. Its application in an FDM model validates the anti-myopic efficacy of RLRL and, critically, provides unprecedented longitudinal safety data at the histological and functional level. This model is a powerful tool for deciphering the mechanisms of RLRL (e.g., on retinal dopamine or choroidal blood flow) and for optimizing therapeutic light parameters for myopia control.
Risks of High Myopia
Zehua Jiang, Tingyao Li, Yixiao Jin, Tien Yin Wong, Bin Sheng
To develop and validate a deep learning system (MMDS-Net) for automated detection, grading, and individualized onset risk prediction of myopic macular degeneration (MMD) from baseline fundus photographs in highly myopic populations.
MMDS-Net accurately performs automated MMD grading and Plus lesion detection, while providing dynamic, personalized risk prediction for disease onset, which potentially can transform MMD management from static diagnosis to proactive and risk-stratified monitoring in clinical practice.
Binocular Vision
Renuka Manjula Narayanan, David Fernandez Gutierrez, Tianlun Zou1, SABYASACHI GOSWAMI, Keith Parkins, Jannick ROLLAND, Susana Marcos
The efficacy of multifocal contact lenses (MCLs) for myopia control is linked to the wearer’s accommodation response (AR) to their optical profiles. While prior research has primarily examined monocular AR, this study investigates binocular accommodative lag (AL) in young subjects viewing four MCL designs replicated on spatial light modulators (SLMs) in a custom binocular open-view visual simulator/aberrometer that preserves natural convergence and proximity cues.
Binocular AR in young subjects varied by MCL design. MiSight (L1) reduced lag with minimal VA loss, while zoned NA designs (L2-L4) showed pupil-size dependence. Overall, binocular cues strongly shape AR in myopia-control lenses, suggesting that see-through binocular visual simulators are best suited to mimic realistic viewing with MCLs.
Catch up on day one and day two of ARVO highlights
