New UAB clinical trial explores an innovative method to slow nearsightedness in children

Safal Khanal, O.D., Ph.D.About 42 percent children in the United States and up to 90 percent children in East Asian regions are myopic. If the current trend continues, approximately 40 percent of the global population will be at risk of permanent vision loss due to myopia by 2050.

Safal Khanal, O.D., Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, has been awarded a two-year R21 grant from the National Eye Institute to evaluate the efficacy of a novel treatment that can slow the progression of myopia.

Traditional myopia management strategies like single-vision glasses, contact lenses and refractive surgeries can correct blurry vision optically, but they do not prevent myopia from worsening over time. Therefore, the risk of developing myopia-related serious complications necessitates treatment early in life.

"Current traditional strategies are limited in their ability to slow axial elongation of the eye, placing people at higher risk for retinal detachments and vision loss," Khanal said. "Lack of effective strategies can substantially increase the myopia-related public health burden of visual impairment and blindness in the near future. An early indication of this is visible in East Asian countries with a high prevalence of myopia where myopic maculopathy is already the leading cause of new blindness."

To address this public health issue at his lab, Khanal is leading a clinical trial focusing on wavelength-based treatments for the myopic eye.

"If these treatments are found effective, they will significantly reduce the public health burden caused by myopia," Khanal said. "They will minimize costs of correcting and managing myopia and improve the quality of life, academic performance and career choices for myopia patients."

Khanal is collaborating with fellow UAB vision scientists Katherine Weise, O.D., Timothy Gawne, Ph.D., and Thomas Norton, Ph.D., for this clinical trial.

"Drs. Weise, Gawne and Norton bring decades of experience in myopia research to this project, and their expertise will be invaluable as we attempt to translate our pre-clinical discoveries at UAB to clinical investigations of treatment strategies," Khanal said. "If this clinical trial is successful, it will provide a paradigm shift in myopia management, significantly improving eye care."

The Sicari Somers Foundation is providing supplemental funding and Performance Vision Technologies is providing material support for the project.

The clinical trial aims to evaluate if the daily use of amber contact lenses can slow the progression of myopia in children. It is open to children ages 8-12 who wear glasses and are interested in or currently wear contact lenses. To enroll a qualified child for the study, email Khanal at [email protected], call 205-934-4558, or make an appointment with UAB Eye Care Pediatric Optometry at 205-975-2020.