Myopia clinical trials: site capability

Myopia control is the area where the New Zealand Eye Research Centre (NZERC) is strongest, and the area where the field still has the most unanswered questions. This page is for lens manufacturers, device companies and pharmaceutical sponsors assessing us for a myopia study.

Endpoints we measure

• Axial length on three optical biometers (Zeiss IOLMaster, Haag-Streit Lenstar, Nidek AL-Scan), so a study can fix one instrument for every visit and keep a backup.
• Cycloplegic autorefraction and standardised visual acuity on Good-Lite ESC 2000 charts.
• Choroidal thickness and choroidal vascularity index, which respond within weeks and can give an early signal in a short study. See choroidal thickness and CVI measurement.
• Corneal topography and tomography (Medmont Meridia, Heidelberg Anterion) for orthokeratology and optical treatment studies.
• Retinal imaging on a full Heidelberg Spectralis OCT suite, for safety monitoring in light-based studies.

Modalities our investigators already use

An investigator who has never fitted the product category is a risk to a trial. NZERC's clinicians routinely prescribe and fit the full range of myopia control: orthokeratology, dual-focus and multifocal soft contact lenses, myopia control spectacle lenses, low-dose atropine, and combinations of these. Our published evidence reviews of the main products are on the site: Stellest, MiSight, MiYOSMART, red light therapy and low-dose atropine.

Investigator credentials

Lead investigator Jagrut Lallu holds a master's degree with honours in specialty contact lenses and orthokeratology from the University of Auckland, is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Deakin School of Optometry, a Myopia Ambassador for the International Myopia Institute and the World Council of Optometry's myopia ambassador for the Asia-Pacific region. The team publishes in this field, most recently on red-light therapy in myopia management in Clinical & Experimental Optometry (2026).

Why a New Zealand population is worth having

Almost every pivotal myopia control trial has been run in East Asian children. Effect sizes in European, Māori, Pacific and mixed populations are far less well established, and a sponsor marketing globally will eventually be asked for that data. New Zealand offers an ethnically diverse paediatric population in a single-ethics jurisdiction with English-language documentation.

Questions we think are worth funding

• Head-to-head comparisons between optical designs, which manufacturers have avoided and clinicians badly need.
• Combination therapy: an optical treatment plus atropine, against either alone.
• Predicting non-response. Around one eye in ten does not respond to dual-focus lenses, and no trial yet identifies those children in advance. Choroidal response at three months is a candidate.
• Independent safety data for light-based treatments, with retinal imaging and functional testing.

Next step

Send your target population, endpoints and timeline to research@nzerc.com, or use the sponsor enquiry form. See also patient recruitment and our study population and pilot studies in New Zealand.