PolyU and Zeiss join forces to combat progressive shortsightedness for the benefit of children worldwide.

By 2050, about half of the world’s population, which means nearly 5 billion people, will suffer from myopia. Severe myopia can not only affect people’s quality of life but also pose risks of serious eye diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts, or even blindness. PolyU’s School of Optometry (SO) offers an effective solution that is being adopted in the ZEISS lens.

Concentric rings due to D.I.S.C.’s multi-zone property are visible only when illuminated.

An impactful solution to manage myopia

Myopia usually occurs when the eyeball overgrows to become too long, causing light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. The critical period for managing myopia is between 6 to 12 years old.

The partnership between PolyU’s SO and ZEISS Vision Care (ZEISS) has resulted in the new Myopia Control Spectacle Lenses. Incorporating the PolyU D.I.S.C. technology and ZEISS Cylindrical Annual Refractive Elements (C.A.R.E.) design, the lens can slow down the average axial length growth in Asian children by up to 70%.

“The new lens has a concentric-ring design with two optical microstructures alternately arranged on its surface," Dr Dennis Tse Yan-yin, Associate Professor at SO and the inventor of the lens, explains.

“One optical structure is for correcting vision. It allows light to focus on the retina and provides a clear image. The other optical structure produces a defocused image in front of the retina, creating a defocus that can slow down the axial length growth of the eyeball.”

The PolyU patented technology adopted in the ZEISS new lenses is called Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact (D.I.S.C.) for myopia management. It is non-invasive and has undergone multiple basic experiments and clinical verifications, and is proven to be safe, effective and without significant side effects.

Dr Dennis Tse Yan-yin
Associate Professor, School of Optometry

Long-term collaboration for worldwide benefits

The global partnership, which started when the University and the lens manufacturer began to explore collaboration on research and education some years ago, involves IP licensing and joint research and development.

This partnership aims to advance the understanding and treatment of myopia by combining academic and industry expertise, and paves the way for a long-term collaboration focusing on technologies. The goal is to develop innovative solutions that improve and preserve vision, with the potential for groundbreaking advancements in vision care that will benefit people worldwide.

SO has been at the forefront of addressing myopia with advanced myopia control technologies. In collaboration with leading industry partners, over 32 million pieces of innovative lenses designed to slow myopia progression have been sold worldwide, improving the vision health of millions of children and young people.

Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation), says, “PolyU has always been committed to promoting technology transfer. The D.I.S.C. technology for myopia management is an excellent example to demonstrate how academic research can be transformed into effective industry solutions, offering an additional option in the market for those in need.”

--- 

References:
1. Alvarez-Peregrina, C., et al. Efficacy of a next-generation design of ophthalmic lenses for myopia control: Six-month results of the CEME Study. ARVO Annual Meeting 2024, Seattle, USA
2. Chen, X., et al. Slowing myopia progression with cylindrical annular refractive elements (CARE) – 12-month interim results from a 2-year prospective multi-center trial. ARVO Annual Meeting 2024, Seattle, USA