Six-month – and imminent 12-month – clinical data for MiYOSMART iQ lenses signals a potential shift in myopia management, with results showing no progression on average in children.
At the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress 2026 in February, HOYA Vision Care unveiled interim clinical findings that may mark a turning point in myopia management.
Six-month data from a randomised controlled trial of its MiYOSMART iQ spectacle lenses showed that, on average, children aged four to 12 experienced no progression of myopia, alongside minimal axial elongation.
The results, presented in Hong Kong, build on the company’s established Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) Technology, introducing an enhanced iteration known as Triple Enhanced Design (TED).
Although MiYOSMART iQ spectacle lenses aren’t available in Australia yet (they are due to be launched later in the year), for a profession long focused on slowing progression, the implications are significant.
“These are the most impressive myopia control results seen so far with D.I.M.S. technology-based spectacle lenses,” said Dr Natalia Vlasak, global head of medical and scientific affairs at HOYA Vision Care.
“The conversation has now moved beyond slowing down myopia progression… we are entering a new era of myopia control – where no myopia progression on average could be reached.”
However, as Ulli Hentschel, sales and marketing manager for Australia and New Zealand at HOYA Vision Care, emphasises, careful language remains critical when interpreting the findings.
New approach to defocus
MiYOSMART iQ builds on the original MiYOSMART lens, launched in 2018, which has since seen more than 13 million lenses purchased globally. The new design incorporates three key enhancements aimed at increasing treatment efficacy.
At its core is a reconfiguration of the defocus segments that underpin D.I.M.S. technology.
The central clear zone has been reduced, while defocus segments have been positioned closer to the lens centre to more consistently stimulate the near-peripheral retina – identified in research as particularly responsive to myopic defocus.
“There are more defocus segments, both extending further outside the treatment zone and closer to the centre,” Hentschel says. “That’s been done specifically to activate the near peripheral retina, which is the region most responsive to this type of signal.”
In addition, the defocus power has been increased from 3.5 dioptres to 4.5 dioptres, delivering a stronger myopic defocus signal.
“These combined changes create a significantly more effective product,” Hentschel notes.
According to HOYA’s clinical data, this translates to MiYOSMART iQ being twice as effective as the original MiYOSMART lenses in controlling both axial elongation and refractive progression over the six-month study period.
The trial itself involved 202 children, divided into three groups: 67 wearing single vision lenses, 67 wearing MiYOSMART, and 68 wearing MiYOSMART iQ.
Importantly, the study design differed from earlier trials by including younger children – as young as four – and specifically recruiting participants with documented progressive myopia.
“That’s quite unusual,” Hentschel explains. “Most studies don’t actively look for children already progressing. Here, the aim was to understand how the lens performs in a cohort where progression is already occurring, including in very young children where we’ve historically had less data.”
Early intervention
The shift from slowing to potentially halting progression – even when framed as an average outcome – has significant clinical and public health implications.
Globally, myopia is estimated to affect around 34% of the population and is projected to reach 50% by 2050. In children, its impact extends beyond refractive error, with associations to educational outcomes, social development, and long-term ocular health risks.
For practitioners, the findings reinforce the importance of early detection and intervention.
“The earlier you can start treatment, the better the outcome,” Hentschel says. “If you can intervene at age four, five or six – before or just as they start school – and effectively control progression, you can dramatically change that child’s trajectory.
“That could make an enormous difference,” he says. “Not just in terms of convenience and quality of life, but also in reducing the risk of sight-threatening disease later on.”
Even outside of long-term pathology, the day-to-day implications are meaningful. Lower levels of myopia are easier to correct, less visually limiting, and may reduce dependence on optical correction in certain situations.
This aligns with a broader shift in professional expectations. In Australia and New Zealand, myopia management has increasingly moved from a niche offering to a standard of care, supported by guidance from Optometry Australia.
“Not that long ago, myopia management was seen as a specialty,” Hentschel says. “Now it’s expected practice. And that’s a good thing – the more the industry focuses on improving efficacy, the better outcomes we can achieve overall.”
What comes next
While the six-month results are compelling, HOYA is clear that they represent interim findings. A peer-reviewed publication is expected to follow, and longer-term data will be critical in validating sustained outcomes.
At the time of writing, 12-month data from the same clinical program was due to be presented at the ARVO 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver in May, with early indications suggesting similar results – namely, no myopia progression on average over a full year.
However, these findings remain under embargo until formal presentation.
Locally, MiYOSMART iQ is scheduled for launch across Australia and New Zealand in August 2026. Rather than a standalone roadshow, HOYA plans to introduce the product through key industry events, including the Optometry Clinical Conference (OCC) in Brisbane and other major gatherings across July and August, including O-SHOW26 in Melbourne.
“Through conversations with optometrists, we’re also looking to understand how children adapt to the new design and how it performs in practice,” Hentschel says. “That includes cases where patients may switch from the original MiYOSMART lens to MiYOSMART iQ – what that looks like in terms of progression and outcomes.”
For eyecare practitioners, the coming months will be critical in translating clinical evidence into everyday care.
If longer-term data continues to support the early findings, MiYOSMART iQ may represent more than just an incremental improvement – it could signal a reframing of what is possible in myopia management.
For now, the message is one of cautious optimism. As Hentschel puts it: “It’s a big claim, and rightly so – but it’s backed by strong data. And if we can truly move towards no progression on average, that’s a meaningful step forward for the profession and for patients.”
