A growing body of evidence is giving practitioners confidence that an innovative soft contact lens design is a meaningful and effective tool for slowing myopia progression and supporting patient compliance.
The newly-released three-year clinical findings for Johnson & Johnson Vision (J&J Vision)’s ACUVUE Abiliti 1-Day soft therapeutic lenses is sharpening practitioner focus on what long-term, evidence-based myopia management can achieve – both for young patients and for the practices that support them.
The latest data shows that more than half (55.2%) of children fitted with Abiliti 1-Day lenses exhibited no clinically meaningful myopia progression* over three years,^1 and axial elongation was reduced by an average of 0.31 mm.¥1
While efficacy is the headline eyecare professionals often seek, compliance is the decisive factor.
When put to the test in a randomised trial, the data indicates Abiliti 1‑Day lenses – engineered to support real‑world use – offer more comfort, ease of handling and lens stability. The outcomes show 90.8% of children said they never or rarely felt the lens on the eye;#2 95.4% said the lens rarely or never moved or fell out;#2 and more than 90% indicated it was to insert and remove.†3
For optometrists like Dr Philip Cheng, a global thought-leader in global myopia management, they’re encouraging numbers. It demonstrates that young patients respond well to Abiliti 1-Day – described as the first daily‑disposable silicone‑hydrogel soft contact lens specifically designed to slow myopia progression in children‡4 – and feel comfortable in them, with the lenses fitting seamlessly into school, sports and everyday life.
In practice, a myopia intervention only works if the child consistently wears it for the prescribed duration.
“The best treatment is the one the child will actually use,” Dr Cheng says. “Some kids simply won’t wear glasses full-time, or they’re self-conscious, or active in sport. For them, contact lenses are often the better choice from day one.”
Taken together, the data represents a compelling milestone for a contact lens that only became widely available to Australian optometrists in August 2025.
For Dr Cheng, a Melbourne-based clinical optometrist who has been using the lens for the past six months at his Eyecare Concepts practice, the findings align nicely with his early real-world experience.
“We haven’t seen any meaningful progression in the patients we’ve fitted so far,” he says.
“Six months isn’t long-term, but stability at that stage is definitely encouraging – and when you combine that with strong three-year evidence, it gives you real confidence to prescribe it.”
The meaning of this data is significant for practitioners, particularly those navigating parental expectations, he says.
“Parents want to know the treatment has evidence behind it,” says Dr Cheng.
“When I can say this lens has been shown to reduce axial elongation by 0.31 mm over three years, that’s powerful. It reassures them we’re not just hoping for a good outcome – we’re working with a proven one.”
The demographic Dr Cheng serves is unusually weighted toward younger patients – about 75% are under 18. That reflects broader global and national trends: the growth of childhood myopia, accelerated by pandemic-era indoor environments and prolonged near work.
“We definitely saw a surge after COVID,” he says. “Kids were inside, doing more near work, and we’re seeing them become myopic at younger ages.”
While the clinic is known for its breadth of treatment – spectacle-based options, atropine therapy, repeated low-level red-light therapy, orthokeratology (orthoK), and soft myopia control contact lenses – the choice always comes back to suitability and the likelihood of compliance.
Integrating Abiliti 1-Day
When J&J Vision launched the Abiliti 1-Day lens locally, Dr Cheng saw it as a natural fit within his suite of soft lens offerings.
“It’s now our premium soft lens option,” he says. “Once we’ve determined we’re going down the daytime soft lens path, it’s one of the main products we discuss first.”
Part of that confidence stems from his longstanding experience with J&J Vision products.
“They’re an innovative company,” he says. “Their lenses are predictable in comfort and vision, and the support for our practice has always been excellent. Abiliti 1-Day continues that pattern – it’s a well-designed, advanced lens.”
The Abiliti 1-Day lens uses RingBoost technology – delivering +7.00 D of peripheral myopic defocus, supported by a central +10.00 D boost4 to deliver a strong, consistent treatment signal. The design adopts non co-axial optics, helping maintain clarity while still delivering high levels of defocus.4
“It creates more defocus than other lenses I have used,” says Dr Cheng. “That theoretical benefit is meaningful, and the visual acuity is still excellent because of the unique lens design.”
The lens is also made from senofilcon A, the same silicone hydrogel material used in ACUVUE OASYS 1-Day – a product that has “never been beaten in comfort” across six clinical trials, according to J&J Vision.μ
That material and design translate directly into everyday patient experience. The J&J Vision data showed more than 95% of children achieved 6/6 visual acuity or better.§3
That visual support, comfort and ease-of-handling all feed into that crucial element of myopia management: compliance.
If the contact lens is uncomfortable and the child does not wear it all day, they won’t receive the maximum effect of the prescribed myopia management. Increased comfort levels give the child the best chance to manage their myopia and improve both their vision and wellbeing.
Dr Cheng has seen these advantages play out in the real-world, especially when fitting children with Abiliti 1-Day.
“The smaller diameter and slightly stiffer construction help with insertion and removal. Kids generally adapt extremely quickly, and often faster than adults,” he says.
“For parents, that ease is important – they want to see that their child can manage the lens safely.”
He also notes the wide prescription range, extending to -8.00 D, which makes it suitable for both very low and high myopia cases where orthoK may be less ideal.
“It covers the extremes well, especially where orthoK may be difficult to fit.”
Why design matters
The Abiliti 1-Day lens was designed specifically for a child’s eye, with a smaller diameter and handling characteristics tuned for younger wearers.†5
Optometrists report that this means less training on insertion and removal – minimising chair time – and greater comfort for the patient.
“It’s an easy lens to fit,” Dr Cheng says. “It doesn’t require any additional equipment or training. You fit it like a normal contact lens, and the handling profile is well-suited to kids.”
For optometrists without access to axial-length biometry, this is particularly relevant.
“With orthoK you must rely on axial length because you can’t check refraction accurately. But with soft lenses or glasses, you can monitor progression using refraction at every visit. That’s a major advantage for mainstream practices without a biometer.”
Dr Cheng describes soft myopia control lenses as a nice “soft landing” for practices starting in myopia management – low investment, high scalability, strong evidence.
One of his most memorable recent cases involving the Abiliti 1-Day lens illustrates how quickly children can transition into successful contact lens wear when the technology works in their favour.
A young patient, progressing quickly to around -5.00 D, had spent years resisting the idea of contact lenses despite her active lifestyle and discomfort with glasses. Each visit followed the same pattern: discussion, hesitation, refusal.
“Then suddenly, late last year, her mum booked her in and said she’d changed her mind,” he says. “We did one teaching session – just one – and she was completely competent. Since then, she’s never gone back to glasses.”
Dr Cheng says her stability so far mirrors the broader trend he’s seeing with Abiliti 1-Day: “She’s been very stable – no progression in the period we’ve monitored.”
It’s an important outcome: reducing this patient’s risk of sight-threatening pathology and ocular disease related to high myopia.
Real-world results like this give Dr Cheng clinical confidence when prescribing Abiliti 1 Day. Many parents arrive at appointments knowing little about the condition or the implications of progression, so he complements this with evidence-based insights to highlight the importance of intervening.
“Graphs showing progression with single-vision lenses versus Abiliti 1-Day are incredibly helpful. Parents immediately understand the difference.”
This clarity directly affects practice outcomes. “You can explain that lowering myopia reduces the risk of complications throughout life – retinal detachment, myopic maculopathy, glaucoma.
“Parents appreciate knowing we’re doing everything we can to keep prescriptions as low as possible.”
Evidence also improves business confidence. It’s easier to recommend a premium product when the long-term data is strong. “The evidence gives you confidence that you’re offering the best option available.”
For optometrists still considering soft myopia control lenses, Dr Cheng has some straightforward rationale.
“It’s an easy lens to fit, it doesn’t require additional gear, and you can monitor progression using refraction. You can achieve comparable outcomes to more complex treatments without the extra investment,” he says.
“For many practices, that’s the simplest way to get started in myopia management.”
As the three-year Abiliti data continues to circulate, he expects more practitioners will recognise the benefits.
“There’s really no excuse anymore not to offer a myopia management solution.”
Key:
* Change in Spherical Equivalent of Cycloplegic Auto Refraction ≥-0.25 D.
^ Over the course of 3 years compared to only 13.2% of those wearing a single vision, regular contact lens.
¥ Compared to a single vision, regular contact lens after 3 years of wear.
# Based on descriptive summaries of top-2-box (Never/Rarely) responses at 2 weeks in a randomized, controlled, crossover study (n = 75; intention-to-treat population; ages 7-17 years with sphere refraction: -1.00 to -4.50 D, with ≤ 0.75 D astigmatism in each eye).
† JJV Data on File 2021. Top 3 Box = Extremely Easy, Very Easy, Easy.
‡ Based on publicly available information as of December 3, 2021.
§ Measured using LogMAR visual acuity where 0.00 LogMAR is equivalent to 20/20 vision.
μ ClinicalTrials.gov is a website maintained by the NIH. The 6 clinical studies evaluated subjective comfort as a primary or secondary endpoint for ACUVUE® OASYS 1-Day with HydraLuxe® Technology Brand family contact lenses vs. competitors’ products. Review conducted as of October 31, 2025.
References:
1. JJV Data on file. Efficacy of ACUVUE® Abiliti® 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management: Comparative Claims vs. Single Vision and Dual Focus Lenses.
2. JJV Data on File.
3. JJV Data on File 2021. Stand-Alone Performance Claims – ACUVUE® Abiliti® 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management.
4. JJV Data on File 2021. Development of Optical Design of ACUVUE® Abiliti® 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management.
5. JJV Data on File 2021. Mechanical Design of ACUVUE® Abiliti® 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management – Effect on Fit and Handling.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinion of Dr Philip Cheng. Dr Cheng was not paid for this article.
