Purpose: Orthokeratology (OK) lens is a popular optical method to control myopia progression. This study aimed to assess the effect of OK lens on axial length change compared with glasses.
Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched to retrieve the related articles. Then, the articles were selected according to predefined criteria. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were selected as effect size for combining and analyzing the change in axial length.
Results: A total of 13 articles were included in the present study. Different models were selected according to the heterogeneity of each analysis. The axial length change in OKs group was significantly smaller than control group; SMD (95% CI) of change in axial length was - 0.857 (- 1.146, - 0.568), p < 0.001 at the end of 1 year and - 0.701 (- 1.675, 0.272), p < 0.001 at the end of 2 years or longer time.
Conclusions: OK lens treatment appears more effective in slowing axial elongation than glasses during the early treatment of myopia in children.
Keywords: Axial length; Change; Meta-analysis; Myopia; OK lens.