Orthokeratology vs. spectacles: adverse events and discontinuations.

Purpose: To assess the relative clinical success of orthokeratology contact lenses (OK) and distance single-vision spectacles (SV) in children in terms of incidences of adverse events and discontinuations over a 2-year period.

Methods: Sixty-one subjects 6 to 12 years of age with myopia of - 0.75 to - 4.00DS and astigmatism ≤1.00DC were prospectively allocated OK or SV correction. Subjects were followed at 6-month intervals and advised to report to the clinic immediately should adverse events occur. Adverse events were categorized into serious, significant, and non-significant. Discontinuation was defined as cessation of lens wear for the remainder of the study.

Results: Thirty-one children were corrected with OK and 30 with SV. A higher incidence of adverse events was found with OK compared with SV (p < 0.001). Nine OK subjects experienced 16 adverse events (7 significant and 9 non-significant). No adverse events were found in the SV group. Most adverse events were found between 6 and 12 months of lens wear, with 11 solely attributable to OK wear. Significantly more discontinuations were found with SV in comparison with OK (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The relatively low incidence of adverse events and discontinuations with OK is conducive for the correction of myopia in children with OK contact lenses.