SightGlass Vision reported 2-year findings from an ongoing clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of its Diffusion Optics Technology (DOT) spectacle lenses for the management of pediatric myopia progression.
This latest round of data was presented earlier this week during the 2026 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting in Denver, Colorado.
First, a refresh on this technology.
DOT is an investigational (in the United States, at least) proprietary and patent-protected lens technology designed to slow axial elongation—potentially leading to stabilization or reduction of myopic progression.
How it does this: By integrating thousands of light-scattering elements (“dots”) that imitate more natural contrast at all visual distances before:
- these dots reach the retina
- the retina detects artificial contrast (such as via electronic screens or books)
Once detected, the retina signals the eye to elongate.
And DOT is embedded in … spectacle lenses?
Indeed. As a total package, DOT + the spectacle lenses work together to provide clear central vision with slightly less contrast in the lens’s peripheral component.
In other words: The DOT lenses manage contrast to manage myopia.
Can these be worn by all myopes of all ages?
DOT lenses are specifically designed for pediatric patients as young as age 6 and up to age 13.
Got it. So, just to confirm: the FDA has yet to approve these lenses, right?
That’s correct. Although, the federal agency has granted Breakthrough Device Designation.
Outside the United States: The lens technology first became available in 2021 and has already launched across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and North America.
- Among these countries: Canada, China, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
- And as of August 2025: SightGlass reported its DOT lenses have been worn by 1 million pediatric patients.
Now let’s talk clinical data.
To note: The company has released several datasets over the years supporting its lens technology for pediatric myopia control—including 3-year, real-world findings and 4-year outcomes.
However: This latest reporting pertains to one specific clinical trial we’ve reported on a couple of times over the last year: a randomized, controlled, evaluator-blinded, multicenter, two-arm parallel group study.
- For ease of remembrance, we’ll refer to it as the CATHAY study (NCT05562622).
Give me some background on this trial.
CATHAY was kicked off following the positive data readout from a 3-year, North American-based study known as Control of Myopia using Peripheral Diffusion Lenses: Efficacy and Safety Study (CYPRESS).
Its purpose: To compare DOT lenses versus conventional single-vision (SV) lenses for their continued safety and efficacy.
- See here for more on this trial and its results (this Is the real-world data we mentioned earlier).
And what should we know about CATHAY?
Check out the details on its design, participants (myopes aged 6 to 10), and expected duration.
- Its outcome measures (originally obtained at 12 months):
- Axial length (AL), as determined by the change in AL from baseline
- Cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (cSER)
Next up: the 24-month data.
The big takeaway from this latest reporting: SightGlass’s DOT lenses saved more than 1 diopter (D) of myopic progression on average after 2 years among pediatric patients aged 6 to 10.
Some numbers: Across the full study population—which included patients aged 6 to 13—the lenses slowed the following (compared to the SV lens group):
- Average myopia progression by 0.78 D
- Average AL progression by 0.50 mm
… translation?
In other words: DOT lens wearers saw a 67% and 62% reduction in myopic progression and AL, respectively.
Nice! Any other new data?
Also across the full study population, a statistically significant difference (p<0.0001) was observed between the DOT lens and control groups, with:
- 59% of DOT lens wearers showing a 0.50D or less myopia progression after 2 years.
- 19% of SV lens wearers showing a 0.50D or less myopia progression after 2 years.
So how do these findings compare to prior reports?
Those prior CATHY study data readouts would be the 12-month and 18-month findings, which SightGlass reported on last year:
- The 12-month data found DOT spectacle lens wear resulted in a significant slowing of myopia progression. See here for the numbers.
- The 18-month data reported 57% of DOT lens-wearing patients demonstrated no clinically meaningful myopia progression at all (versus 15% in the SV lens group). More on this here.
Noted … and what new conclusions were drawn from this latest data?
As Jennifer Hill, NCLEC, associate director of clinical affairs at SightGlass Vision, presented during the ARVO session titled Control of Myopia Using Contrast Modulation Spectacle Lenses in a Chinese Population: 24-Month Results.
The latest data demonstrate that “contrast modulation DOT lenses are effective in significantly slowing (AL) and myopia progression compared to SV.”
- Further: “These results support the hypothesis that modulating retinal contrast can successfully slow myopia progression in children.”
Lastly, should we be expecting future reporting from this trial?
Considering Clinical Trials is listing the 4-year study’s completion date as the end of December 2027, it’s safe to say so.