New research from SightGlass Vision shows that children wearing DOT spectacle lenses for myopia control see, move, and perceive their eyewear similarly to children wearing standard single vision lenses, while gaining the added benefit of myopia control. Presented at the American Academy of Optometry 2026 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., the findings demonstrate comparable viewing behaviour and performance across everyday activities, from reading and gaming to walking and cycling, along with high quality of vision and strong satisfaction among children wearing DOT lenses. The collective outcomes should give eye care professionals greater confidence to fit DOT lenses for children with progressing myopia as readily as they would any standard single vision lens.
“We believe children wearing myopia control spectacles should have the same freedom to learn, move and play as any other child,” said Fabio Carta, Director of Professional Affairs at SightGlass Vision. “What’s encouraging about this new research is how consistently DOT lenses function like traditional eyewear from the child’s perspective. Together with the strong clinical evidence behind DOT lenses’ unique contrast management approach, these findings should further embolden practitioners to recommend the technology to young children and their families.”
Seeking to address questions that can influence myopia control decisions in everyday practice, researchers examined how children actually use DOT spectacle lenses across a range of familiar and dynamic visual tasks.
Key Study Findings and Research Highlights
Assessment of Viewing Behavior with Contrast Modulation Myopia Control Spectacle Lenses (Long T, et al.) used eye tracking to compare children wearing DOT lenses and single vision lenses while reading, gaming, viewing a lecture, and walking. Eye and head movement patterns remained highly consistent between lens types, with no evidence that children compensated for DOT lenses by changing their gaze or head position. DOT lens treatment zone coverage also remained very high across activities in both younger and older children.
Immersive Motion Capture Evaluation of Contrast Modulation Spectacle Lenses for Myopia Control in Children (Gantes J, et al.) evaluated children during more dynamic visual tasks as they located peripheral targets, caught virtual baseballs and navigated a bicycle around obstacles. Researchers found no significant differences between DOT lenses and single vision lenses in any measured behaviour, including head movements, reaction times, catching performance, speed changes and steering.
Quality of Vision in Children Wearing Diffusion Optics Technology Compared with Standard Spectacle Lenses (Wang D, et al.) provides new insights from SightGlass Vision’s CATHAY clinical study, which previously showed that DOT lenses for myopia control saved more than 1D of progression on average after two years in Chinese children aged 6 to 10.[1]* This additional analysis extends the understanding of DOT lenses beyond efficacy, examining quality of vision among children ages 6 to 13 who wore DOT lenses or standard single vision lenses for two years. Visual disturbances, including glare, halos and hazy vision, were infrequent with both lens types and, when present, were predominantly mild and minimally bothersome. DOT lenses showed a visual-disturbance profile comparable to or more favourable than standard single vision lenses across the three symptoms assessed.
Additional findings from the CATHAY study examined children’s own perceptions of wearing DOT lenses after two years. Subjective Experience in Children Wearing Diffusion Optics Technology Compared with Single Vision Spectacle Lenses (Carta F, et al.) evaluated distance, near and night vision, visual acceptance, satisfaction and overall impression among children ages 6 to 13. More than 91% of responses across all six measures were positive or neutral, with no significant differences between children wearing DOT lenses and those wearing standard single vision lenses.
“One of the important questions with any myopia control spectacle lens is how children genuinely use the lens during normal visual tasks,” said David Webley, Senior Director, Clinical, Medical and Professional Affairs at SightGlass Vision. “What we’re seeing with DOT lenses is remarkably consistent behaviour across a range of activities. Children are not changing their gaze or head position to compensate for the treatment zone, and their performance during dynamic tasks is comparable to standard single vision lenses. For practitioners, these findings provide important clinical reassurance that children can gain the myopia control benefit of DOT lenses without changing how they naturally use their glasses.”
DOT lenses are the first myopia management treatment specifically designed to reduce retinal contrast signalling through the incorporation of light-scattering elements.[2] The lenses have been proven in gold-standard clinical trials in North America and China,[3]-[5] and have been worn by more than two million children and counting.6† Rather than using multiple optical powers to create peripheral defocus, DOT lenses maintain a single power across the lens.
DOT lenses have made their commercial debut in China, Canada, Israel, Spain, and the UK. Founded in 2016, SightGlass Vision now operates as a joint venture of CooperVision, Inc. and Essilor International.
For more information, visit SightGlassVision.com.
* Prescribed DOT lens wear time was 10 hours per day. LS Mean progression difference of 1.01D between test and control groups.
† Not available for sale in all countries, including in the U.S.
[1] SGV data on file 2026. Control of myopia using contrast modulation spectacle lenses in a Chinese population (n = 172 (6-10 years: 117), 5 sites in China). Overall patient population aged 6–13 years. The clinical trial was designed to compare DOT lenses with conventional singlevision lenses to evaluate their continued safety and efficacy in Chinese children.
[2] Rappon et al. Control of myopia using diffusion optics spectacle lenses: 12-month results of a randomised controlled, efficacy and safety study (CYPRESS). Br J Ophthalmol. 2023;107(11):1709–1715.
[3] Rappon J, Neitz J, Neitz M, et al. Two-year effectiveness of a novel myopia management spectacle lens with full-time wearers. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2022 :e001790.
4 Laughton et al. Control of myopia using contrast modulati.on spectacle lenses in a Chinese population: 12-month results. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2025;66(8):2815.
5 Hariton E, Locascio JJ. Randomised controlled trials – the gold standard for effectiveness research: Study design: randomised controlled trials. BJOG. 2018 Dec;125(13):1716.
6 SGV data on file 2026: 2024-26 sales data and repeat purchase rates; reflects global usage across multiple regions.
