Introduction
peripheral myopic defocus, myopic, myopia, DIMS, non-accommodative
REFRACTIVE ERROR, MYOPIA, LENS, SCLERA
Approximately 30% of Europeans are myopic [There is growing interest in methods that slow the progression of myopia [Defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses are designed to slow myopia progression in children, based on the principle of peripheral myopic defocus and simultaneous vision. They are a dual focus spectacle lens consisting of a central optical zone for correcting distance refractive error, and an annulus comprising several hundred circular segments, each ~1 mm in diameter with a relative positive power of 3.50D equally distributed throughout the mid-peripheral area in a honeycomb pattern [The literature reveals no trials of DIMS in European populations and no studies comparing atropine with DIMS. It is believed that different mechanisms underly the benefit from atropine (non-accommodative, possibly via acting directly on receptors in the sclera) and optical approaches such as DIMS (reducing relative hyperopic defocus) [The goals of this study are to evaluate the efficacy of DIMS in slowing the progression of myopia in a population of European children in comparison with atropine and combined DIMS and atropine.