When should myopia control be stopped?

Parents often ask myopia management clinicians, “How long will my child require myopia management treatment?” or “When will my myopic child stop progressing so treatment can end?” Unfortunately, there is not a straightforward answer. 

The NEI-funded COMET Trial (2013) demonstrated that myopia often stabilizes by age 18, but not always, especially in today’s myogenic world. At baseline, the COMET cohort included 469 ethnically diverse American children aged 6 to younger than 12 years with prescriptions between -1.25 and -4.50D in each eye, no more than 1.50D of astigmatism. Data were analyzed on 426 of the original cohort following at least seven refraction measurements over 11 years. The following chart summarizes important data gathered from this landmark study.