CooperVision has gained approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for the manufacture and sale of its innovative MiSight® 1 day contact lenses. The milestone decision makes MiSight® 1 day the first soft contact lens in the country authorized for use by children to correct myopia and may help control its progression.‡1
As myopia rates increase globally, with approximately 5 billion people estimated to have myopia by 2050, Japan has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world.2 In Japan, 77% of children aged 6-11 and 95% of children aged 12-14 are myopes.3 The increasing trend is believed to stem from changes in lifestyle, particularly a decrease in outdoor time and an increase in near-distance activities such as studying, reading, and digital device use.4-6 Beyond immediate effects on vision, myopia progression also increases the risk for serious eye diseases such as retinal detachment and glaucoma in the future, making early intervention essential.7-10
“CooperVision is extremely pleased that eye care professionals and families in Japan will have access to MiSight® 1 day, the world’s number one most fitted soft contact lens for myopia control in age-appropriate children.§11 Introducing MiSight® 1 day as an accessible tool to help treat the myopia epidemic among Japanese children3 has the potential to help prevent longer-term ocular health consequences12 on a significant scale,” said Jennifer Lambert, Vice President, Myopia Management & Cornea Care, CooperVision. “Japanese children will soon be able to wear a contact lens that’s currently being successfully used by hundreds of thousands of children around the world, and we look forward to partnering with Japan’s renowned ophthalmology community to fight myopia together.”13
This milestone approval in Japan means that MiSight® 1 day is now the first and only contact lens approved for myopia control in three major markets: Japan, the United States, with its Food and Drug Administration approval*, and China, with its National Medical Products Administration approval.†‡1 Using its unique ActivControl® technology, the lens addresses both axial length elongation and refractive error.‡1 Two treatment zones focus on the anterior portion of the retina to inhibit axial length elongation, while two correction zones correct myopia. The product is supported by the longest clinical study among children of any soft contact lens for myopia control, which occurred over seven years.*1,14,15
Commercial launch plans and initial shipment details will be announced in the coming weeks.
*Indications for use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
†China Indications for Use: MiSight® 1 day is indicated for the correction of myopia for patients with non-diseased phakic eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 D to -4.00 D with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. It has the dual focal design with alternating multiple rings, which allows part of the light passing through the optical zone to focus in front of the retina, forming myopic defocus with the expectation to slow the change of axial length of the patients. Fitting and evaluation of the product should be in medical institutions by ophthalmologists with an intermediate title or above and with regular monitoring. It must be used in strict accordance with the IFU requirements.
‡Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3-year period.
§Based on available fit data in the UK and US for patients under 20.
REFERENCES
- Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556–567.
- Baird PN et al. Myopia. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2020;6(1):99.
- Yotsukura E et al. Current prevalence of myopia and association of myopia with environmental factors among schoolchildren in Japan. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019;137(11):1233-9.
- Xiong S, Sankaridurg P, Naduvilath T, Zang J, Zou H, Zhu J, Lv M, He X, Xu X. Time spent in outdoor activities in relation to myopia prevention and control: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Acta Ophthalmol. 2017 Sep;95(6):551-566.
- Huang HM, Chang DS, Wu PC. The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 20;10(10):e0140419.
- Lanca C, Saw SM. The association between digital screen time and myopia: A systematic review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2020 Mar;40(2):216-229.
- Xu L et al. High myopia and glaucoma susceptibility, the Beijing Eye Study. Ophthalmology. 2007;114(2):216-20.
- Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical and environmental factors in myopia aetiology. PRER 2013;31(6):622-60.
- Younan C, et al. Myopia and incident cataract and cataract surgery: the blue mountains eye study. IVOS 2002;43(12):3625-3632.
- Chen SJ, et al. Prevalence and associated risk factors of myopic maculopathy in elderly Chinese: the Shihpai eye study. IOVS 2012;53(8):4868-73.
- CVI Data on file 2025, MiSight 1 day and similar lens types – patients under 20.
- Tideman JW et al. Association of axial length with risk of uncorrectable visual impairment for Europeans with myopia. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016;134:1355-1363.
- CVI data on file 2025. Internal MiSight® 1 day global wearer modeling estimates for the 12-month period of June 2024 to May 2025.
- Chamberlain P, et al. Long-term Effect of Dual-focus Contact Lenses on Myopia Progression in Children: A 6-year Multicenter Clinical Trial. Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Mar 1;99(3):204-212.
- Chamberlain P, et al. Myopia Progression in Children on cessation of Dual-Focus contact lens wear: MiSight 1 day 7-year findings. Optom Vis Sci 2021;98:E-abstract 210049.
