Myopia Control Glasses: DIMS, HALT & MiYOSMART Explained
Myopia Control Glasses for Children: A Parent's Guide to DIMS, HALT, and Defocus Spectacle Lenses
When an optometrist recommends myopia control treatment for a child, many parents expect to hear about atropine eye drops or orthokeratology contact lenses. Both are well-established options with decades of clinical evidence. But in recent years, a third category has matured significantly: myopia control glasses — spectacle lenses engineered to slow how quickly a child's vision worsens.
These aren't ordinary glasses with a stronger prescription. They use a fundamentally different optical design to interrupt the biological signals that drive eye growth. And the clinical evidence for the latest generation of these lenses is strong enough that many optometrists in Singapore now recommend them as a first-line treatment — particularly for younger children, for families who prefer to avoid pharmaceutical or contact lens approaches, or when progression needs to be addressed but the child isn't yet ready for overnight lens wear.
This guide explains how myopia control glasses work, which technologies are available in Singapore, what the evidence says about their effectiveness, and how they compare with atropine and orthokeratology.
Why Ordinary Glasses Are Not Myopia Control Glasses
Standard single-vision glasses correct the blur that comes with myopia — they bring the central image into sharp focus so a child can see the board, read, and function normally. But they do nothing to slow the underlying process causing that myopia to worsen year after year.
The driving force behind myopia progression is axial elongation: the eye physically grows too long. In myopic children, this growth continues throughout childhood and often into the early twenties. Standard lenses correct the optics but do not address axial growth, which is why a child can get new glasses every year and still continue deteriorating.
Research over the past two decades has shown that peripheral retinal defocus plays an important role in regulating eye growth. When ordinary glasses correct the central image clearly, the peripheral retina — the edges of the visual field — often receives a hyperopic (far-sighted) defocus signal. This peripheral mismatch appears to stimulate the eye to keep growing to compensate.
Myopia control glasses work by deliberately changing this peripheral signal. Instead of optimising only the central correction, these lenses introduce a myopic defocus zone in the periphery — essentially telling the eye's growth-regulating system to slow down. The child still sees clearly through the central optical zone, but the surrounding area of the lens continuously delivers the corrective signal.
The Main Technologies Available in Singapore
Three distinct lens technologies now dominate the myopia control glasses market in Singapore. They share the same broad principle but differ significantly in their optical approach and the clinical evidence supporting them.
DIMS Lenses (MiYOSMART)
DIMS stands for Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments. The technology was developed by researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is commercialised by Hoya Vision Care under the MiYOSMART brand, which is widely available across Singapore's optical chains and independent optometry practices.
A DIMS lens is built around a central zone that provides the child's correct refractive correction, surrounded by a honeycomb pattern of thousands of small disc-shaped lenslets. Each lenslet introduces a +3.50 D defocus shift relative to the central correction. As light passes through the lenslets, it creates a myopic defocus image in front of the peripheral retina — the signal that research suggests inhibits axial elongation.
The landmark evidence for DIMS was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology in 2020. The Lam et al. randomised controlled trial followed myopic children in Hong Kong over two years and found that MiYOSMART reduced myopia progression by 59% and reduced axial elongation by 60% compared to standard single-vision lenses. These results established DIMS as among the strongest evidence for any spectacle-based myopia control intervention.
More recently, HOYA presented 12-month data at ARVO 2026 for MiYOSMART iQ, the second-generation DIMS lens. This trial included children as young as four years old — an important milestone because most prior myopia control trials had focused on children six and older. The data showed that 9 out of 10 children wearing MiYOSMART iQ showed no clinically significant myopia progression over the first year of wear.
HALT Lenses (Stellest)
HALT stands for Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target. The technology was developed by Essilor and appears in their Stellest spectacle lens product.
Like DIMS, Stellest uses a ring of lenslets outside the central optical zone, but the design differs. Stellest lenslets are aspherical rather than flat-topped, and they are arranged in concentric rings rather than a honeycomb pattern. The goal is to create a volume of myopic defocus — a three-dimensional shell of light in front of the retina — across a range of gaze directions and viewing distances.
The key clinical evidence for Stellest was published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2022 by Bao et al. The two-year trial conducted in China found that 67% of children wearing Stellest lenses showed zero or negative axial elongation over the study period, compared to only 14% in the control group wearing standard single-vision lenses. The mean reduction in axial elongation in the treatment group was substantial.
Stellest is designed for children six and older and is recommended for full-time wear — at least 12 hours per day — to achieve the reported efficacy. Compliance is therefore a meaningful factor when discussing this option with your optometrist.
DOT Lenses (Cypress)
SightGlass Vision developed a different approach called DOT, for Diffusion Optics Technology. Rather than creating myopic defocus through lenslets, DOT lenses work by reducing contrast in the peripheral retinal image using micro-scatterers embedded in the lens material. The hypothesis is that contrast-driven signals from the peripheral retina contribute to axial growth signals.
The Cypress spectacle lens uses DOT technology and has published two years of data from the CYPRESS clinical trials, showing meaningful reductions in myopia progression in children aged six to ten. DOT lenses tend to be thinner and lighter than DIMS-based designs, which may be an advantage for higher prescriptions or younger children where lens weight is a consideration.
Cypress lenses are less widely stocked in Singapore than MiYOSMART or Stellest, but can be sourced through select optical providers.
How Effective Are These Lenses?
The efficacy question is the one most parents ask first, and the honest answer is that the evidence has improved significantly in the past few years.
A 2026 meta-analysis published in PubMed Central, which pooled data across multiple randomised controlled trials, found that the difference in myopia control between orthokeratology and DIMS spectacle lenses was not clinically significant for most children in the study populations. Orthokeratology showed a slight numerical advantage in axial length reduction, but the gap was smaller than previously assumed and within the bounds of study variability.
This is a meaningful finding. For years, the conventional view was that contact lens-based approaches (particularly orthokeratology) were clearly superior to spectacle-based approaches. The newer data suggests the gap is narrower, particularly for DIMS lenses, and that spectacle-based myopia control is a genuinely comparable option rather than a fallback for families who decline contact lenses.
It is important to note that not all myopia control glasses are equal. The evidence for DIMS (MiYOSMART) and HALT (Stellest) is significantly stronger and more recent than for older lens designs marketed under similar claims. When evaluating spectacle-based options, it is worth asking your optometrist specifically about the clinical trial behind the lens being recommended — and whether it is a randomised controlled trial rather than observational data.
How Myopia Control Glasses Compare with Orthokeratology and Atropine
For most families weighing treatment options, the practical comparison is: glasses versus orthokeratology versus atropine. Here is how they differ across the dimensions that matter most in daily life.
| Factor | DIMS/HALT Glasses | Orthokeratology | Low-dose Atropine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suitable from | ~4–6 years | Typically 8+ years | Typically 6+ years |
| Contact lens required | No | Yes (overnight wear) | No |
| Approximate cost in Singapore | SGD 400–750 per pair | SGD 1,500–3,000 initial fit | SGD 100–300 per year |
| Daily routine | Wear glasses full time | Insert lenses at bedtime, remove in morning | One drop per eye each evening |
| Common side effects | Minimal | Lens hygiene-related, minor corneal staining in some cases | Photophobia at higher doses; minimal at 0.01% |
| Reversible | Yes | Yes (with some rebound consideration) | Yes (rebound risk on stopping) |
| Efficacy vs standard glasses | ~60–67% reduction in axial elongation | ~50–60% reduction in axial elongation | ~50–60% reduction in progression |
A few things this table makes clear. First, myopia control glasses are typically the most accessible option for younger children — a four-year-old cannot be fitted for orthokeratology lenses, and atropine in pre-school children has less established evidence. Second, the cost advantage of glasses is substantial, particularly over multi-year treatment. Third, the efficacy numbers for DIMS and HALT are now in the same range as the other established options.
That said, some children progress rapidly enough that an optometrist may recommend starting orthokeratology or combining treatments. Axial length data, family preferences, and the child's ability to comply with each treatment all factor into the decision.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Myopia control glasses suit a wide range of children, but they are particularly well-matched to specific circumstances:
Strong candidates include children who are newly diagnosed with myopia and showing progression, children under eight who are not yet ready for contact lens handling, those whose parents prefer a non-pharmaceutical approach, and children with low to moderate degrees of astigmatism (high astigmatism can affect the fitting of some lenslet designs).
Consider other options when a child has very high or rapidly accelerating myopia where the stronger axial length control of orthokeratology may be warranted, when the child already has the maturity and motivation to manage contact lenses, or when combined treatment with atropine is indicated based on family history or progression rate.
The single most important input to this decision is axial length. An optometrist who measures axial length at every visit has a quantitative record of whether the eye is growing at a normal, slow, or accelerated rate — which makes the treatment choice much less guesswork. If your current optometrist does not routinely measure axial length, it is worth asking whether your practice has the equipment or can refer to one that does.
What to Expect from Treatment
Starting myopia control glasses is seamless for children who already wear glasses — it is simply a different lens in the same or a new frame. For a child getting glasses for the first time alongside a myopia control prescription, the initial adaptation period is the same as for any first-time glasses wearer.
For treatment to be effective, the child must wear the glasses consistently during waking hours. DIMS and HALT lenses deliver their myopic defocus signal only while being worn; unlike orthokeratology, there is no carry-over effect from the night before. Studies have found that children who wear myopia control glasses fewer than eight hours a day see meaningfully reduced efficacy compared to full-time wearers.
Your optometrist will typically schedule a review every six months to track axial length and refraction changes. The target is a slower rate of progression compared to what would be expected without treatment — not necessarily zero change, though the MiYOSMART iQ trial data suggests near-zero change may be achievable in younger children during early treatment.
Current clinical thinking is to continue myopia control treatment throughout childhood, generally until at least age 16 or until axial length has been stable for two or more consecutive years. Stopping treatment earlier carries a risk of rebound — a return to the underlying progression rate, or occasionally a brief acceleration above it.
Cost and Availability in Singapore
MiYOSMART and Stellest are both widely stocked across Singapore's major optical chains and independent optometry practices. Cypress DOT lenses are available but less common; not all practices carry them.
Indicative pricing for a complete pair (lenses and standard frame):
- MiYOSMART: SGD 450–700, depending on prescription complexity and frame choice
- Stellest: SGD 450–750
- Cypress: pricing varies by provider; typically SGD 500–800
Annual lens replacement, when necessary due to prescription changes, is an ongoing cost to budget for. Most children's prescriptions change enough each year to require new lenses, so factoring in a replacement cost of SGD 300–500 per year beyond the initial purchase is prudent.
Medisave and standard integrated shield plans do not currently cover myopia control spectacle lenses in Singapore. Some employer optical benefit schemes provide partial reimbursement — worth checking before making a decision.
Track Your Child's Progress
Whichever treatment option you choose, monitoring progression over time is essential. One practical way to visualise your child's myopia journey between clinical visits is to use CarrotByte's free Myopia Progression Calculator. Enter prescription readings collected at different ages and the tool shows how the rate of change compares to population benchmarks — a useful reference when preparing for an optometrist review or assessing whether progression appears to be slowing under treatment.
If your child has recently been diagnosed or you are trying to understand future risk based on current age and prescription, the Myopia Risk Calculator provides a structured risk assessment drawing on published prevalence data.
For finding a Singapore optometrist with specific myopia management experience — including practitioners who offer axial length measurement and stock the lens technologies discussed in this guide — the Eye Care Directory lists qualified practitioners searchable by location and specialty.
Summary
Myopia control glasses have moved from a consolation option to a genuine first-line treatment. The evidence for DIMS-based lenses (MiYOSMART) and HALT-based lenses (Stellest) is strong, with two-year randomised trial data showing 60–67% reductions in axial elongation compared to standard glasses — figures that compare favourably with atropine and, according to a 2026 meta-analysis, are not significantly inferior to orthokeratology for most children.
For Singapore parents navigating the decision, the key factors are the child's age, the rate of progression, lifestyle fit, and cost. Myopia control glasses offer the broadest accessibility — suitable from as young as four, no contact lens handling required, and substantially lower cost than orthokeratology — which makes them the natural starting point for most newly diagnosed children.
Work with an optometrist who measures axial length routinely, who can explain which specific lens technology they are recommending and why, and who will use objective data — not just prescription changes — to assess whether treatment is working at each follow-up visit.