Real-World Effectiveness of DIMS Spectacle Lenses for Myopia Control in a Turkish Pediatric Population: A Retrospective Study Using Age-Specific Physiological Growth Curves

TL;DR

This study shows that DIMS lenses help control myopia in Turkish children, with baseline eye length and age predicting treatment success.

Contribution

The study introduces age-specific physiological growth curves to assess DIMS lens effectiveness in a real-world pediatric population.

Findings

DIMS lenses reduced axial elongation and myopia progression in 85.2% of eyes based on SER success.

Baseline axial length and age were significant predictors of treatment outcomes.

Children aged 10 and older had better AL-based responses compared to younger children.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the one-year real-world effectiveness of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses in controlling myopia progression in a Turkish pediatric cohort and to identify predictors of treatment response using age-specific physiological growth curves. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 54 patients (108 eyes) aged 6–16 years with myopia who wore DIMS spectacle lenses full time for 12 months. The primary outcomes were spherical equivalent refraction (SER) success and axial length (AL)-based treatment response. Treatment success was defined as an SER progression of ≤0.50 dioptres per year and AL elongation within age-specific physiological limits. Subgroup analyses were performed according to age, gender, and the baseline AL group. Results: After 12 months, the mean AL elongation was 0.14 ± 0.31 mm, and the mean SER change was −0.28 ± 0.42 D. SER-based success was achieved in 85.2% of eyes. For AL-based response, 61.1% of eyes showed a good response, 16.7% showed a low–moderate response, and 22.2% had no response. Eyes with moderate baseline AL exhibited significantly less axial elongation than those with high baseline AL (p = 0.001). Children aged ≥ 10 years demonstrated better AL-based responses (p = 0.016). The baseline AL group significantly predicted the AL treatment response, while both the baseline AL group and gender predicted SER success. Gender was associated with SER outcomes but not with AL-based response. Conclusions: DIMS spectacle lenses effectively reduced myopia progression and axial elongation in this real-world Turkish pediatric cohort. Baseline AL and gender were significant predictors of treatment outcomes. Incorporating age-specific physiological growth curves provided an individualized framework for interpreting treatment success. Further prospective studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these findings.

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