The differences between the general data of the control group and the test group were compared. It was found that there was no significant difference in mean age, sex ratio, spherical refraction, cylindrical refraction, intraocular pressure, and course of disease between the control group and the test group (P > 0.05) (Table 1).
Table 1
Comparison of basic data between the two groups.
Group | Age (years old) | Male (n/%) | Spherical refraction (D) | Cylindrical refraction (D) | Intraocular pressure (mmHg) | Course of disease (years) |
Control group (n = 50) | 10.52 ± 1.66 | 31/62 | -2.32 ± 0.89 | -0.42 ± 0.06 | 16.33 ± 2.15 | 2.35 ± 0.47 |
Test group (n = 50) | 10.37 ± 1.53 | 33/66 | -2.41 ± 0.93 | -0.45 ± 0.11 | 16.47 ± 2.80 | 2.40 ± 0.31 |
Statistic value | -0.152 | 0.229 | 0.310 | 0.251 | 0.104 | -0.058 |
P | 0.784 | 0.803 | 0.911 | 0.740 | 0.659 | 0.743 |
The changes of uncorrected visual acuity, refraction, and axial length were compared between the control group and the test group. It was found that with the prolongation of treatment time, the uncorrected visual acuity, refraction, and axial length of patients in both groups showed a gradually increasing trend, and the uncorrected visual acuity and refraction level of patients in the test group increased faster than those in the control group.Compared with at 0d, the uncorrected visual acuity, refraction, and axial length of the control group and test group were significantly increased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the uncorrected visual acuity and refraction were significantly increased, while the axial length was significantly decreased of test group at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05) (Fig. 1).
Comparing the difference of corneal endothelial cell indexes CECD, CVC, and proportion of hexagonal cells between the control group and the test group, it was found that with the extension of treatment time, the CECD and proportion of hexagonal cells in the control group and the test group gradually decreased, while CVC gradually increased. Similarly, the change trend of each indicator in the test group was greater than that in the control group.Compared with at 0d, the proportion of CECD and hexagonal cells in the test group was significantly decreased, and CVC was significantly increased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05). Compared with at 0d, the proportion of hexagonal cells in the control group was significantly decreased, and CVC was significantly increased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05). CECD was significantly lower in the control group at 6mo compared with at 0d (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, CECD was significantly decreased at 6mo (P < 0.05), hexagonal cells were significantly decreased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05), and CVC was significantly increased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo in test group (P < 0.05) (Fig. 2).
The difference of central corneal thickness between the control group and the test group was further analyzed, and it was found that with the increase of treatment time, the central corneal thickness of the control group slightly decreased, while that of the test group slightly increased.There was no significant difference in central corneal thickness between the control group and the test group at different time points before and after treatment (P > 0.05) (Fig. 3).
The changes of visual quality in the control group and the test group were detected and compared by OQASTM II system. It was found that the visual quality evaluation parameters OSI, MTF cutoff, OV100%, OV20%, and OV9% in the control group and the test group had different degrees of changes, while the changes of each parameter in the test group tended to be relatively large.Compared with 0d, OSI increased, and MTF cutoff, OV100%, and OV20% decreased significantly at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05), OV9% increased significantly (P < 0.05) at 1mo, and OV9% decreased significantly (P < 0.05) at 3mo and 6mo in the control and test groups. Compared with the control group, OSI increased, MTF cutoff, OV100%, and OV20% decreased significantly at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05), OV9% increased significantly at 1mo (P < 0.05), and OV9% decreased significantly at 3mo and 6mo (P < 0.05) in the test group (Fig. 4).
The PSQI scale was used to evaluate the changes of sleep quality in the control group and the test group. The scale was divided into subjective sleep quality, sleep onset time, sleep duration, sleep disorders, sleep aids, daytime function, and PSQI total score indicators. In the test group, the changes of each evaluation indicator at 1mo after treatment were greater, but the scores at 3mo and 6mo after treatment were reduced to varying degrees. It was also found that the sleep aids scores of children in the control group were always 0 at different treatment times. Compared with at 0d, the subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, and PSQI score of the test group were significantly increased at 1mo (P < 0.05), and the sleep onset time, sleep duration, sleep disturbance, daytime function, and PSQI score of the test group were significantly decreased at 3mo and 6mo (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the subjective sleep quality was significantly increased at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05), and the sleep onset time, sleep disturbance and daytime function were significantly decreased at 3mo and 6mo in the test group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in sleep time and PSQI score between the control group and the test group at 3mo and 6mo after treatment (P > 0.05) (Fig. 5).
In order to further evaluate the effect of different treatments on the quality of life of children with myopia, SF-36 scale was used to evaluate. It was found that with the increase of treatment time, the scores of all dimensions of SF-36 scale in the control group and the test group showed an increasing trend to different extents, with the changes in the test group being more obvious.Compared with at 0d, PF, RP, BP, CH, VT, SF, RE, and MH scores were significantly higher in the control group and test group at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the PF, RP, BP, CH, VT, SF, RE, and MH scores of patients in the test group were significantly higher at 1mo, 3mo, and 6mo (P < 0.05) (Fig. 6).
Myopia has gradually become a public health concern all over the world, and the factors affecting the process of myopia are also the focus of epidemiological research. Both retinal circadian clock and circadian rhythm are involved in regulating the refractive development of the eyeball, and disturbances in sleep rhythm may induce myopia [14, 15]. The wearing of spectacles is a commonly used correction method for myopic children, which can effectively adjust the refraction, but the long-term correction effect is not good [16]. Studies have confirmed that some myopic patients also experience problems with reduced visual acuity after wearing glasses, which affects the QOL of patients [17, 18]. Orthokeratology lens can adjust the overall shape of cornea through mechanical compression of eyelids, lens reconstruction, lens surface tension, and tear hydraulic suction, and then rapidly improve the uncorrected visual acuity of patients [19]. For this reason, wearing orthokeratology lens can flatten and thicken the central corneal region in myopic patients, followed by short-term reduction of refraction, and long-term wear can control the progression of myopia. In this experiment, uncorrected visual acuity and refraction were higher, while axial length was reduced 1 to 6 months after overnight orthokeratology lens wear treatment than in children treated with spectacles. When overnight orthokeratology lens wear is used to correct visual acuity, the main reason for its success depends on the equivalent refraction, while the change of equivalent refraction is determined by the change of curvature [20]. In this experiment, the uncorrected visual acuity and refraction of children 1 ~ 6 months after overnight orthokeratology lens wear treatment showed a gradually improving trend, which was in line with the characteristics of continuous fluctuation of keratometry.Therefore, overnight orthokeratology lens wear can improve uncorrected visual acuity and refraction, and reduce axial length in the treatment of myopic children, which is conducive to the recovery of children.
Orthokeratology, as a non-surgical method, can correct refractive errors and improve uncorrected visual acuity and higher order aberrations in patients [21]. Overnight orthokeratology lens wear can conveniently, quickly, and effectively maintain the patients’ daytime visual status, while long-term wear needs to consider its effect on the child’s corneal morphology [22]. Corneal endothelial cells as well as corneal thickness are important indicators to assess the effect of orthokeratology lens on corneal health [23]. In this experiment, CECD and hexagonal cell proportion decreased, while CVC increased 1 to 6 months after overnight orthokeratology lens wear treatment, showing that long-term overnight orthokeratology lens wear caused slight changes in corneal endothelial cell morphology in children, but the effect was small. Corneal thickness is an indirect measure of corneal endothelial cell function [24]. Central corneal thickness did not change significantly 1 to 6 months after overnight orthokeratology lens wear treatment. For this reason, the effect of long-term overnight orthokeratology lens wear on corneal thickness needs in-depth study. OQASTM II visual quality system evaluation parameters showed that MTF cutoff, OV100%, OV20%, and OV9% parameters were decreased, while OSI was increased after long-term overnight orthokeratology lens wear. It showed that the visual quality of children showed a trend of first decrease and then increase after overnight orthokeratology lens wear. Children with myopia after overnight orthokeratology lens wear treatment developed problems with decreased visual quality, which may be due to affecting the cleanliness of the lens or lens deviation problems during wear. Keratitis caused by orthokeratology lenses and tear changes may cause a decrease in the quality of vision in children. Therefore, in the future clinical treatment application, it is necessary to strengthen the comfort after wearing orthokeratology lens, standardize the patient’s wearing operation, and instruct the patient to pay attention to hygiene during wearing, as well as the fitting state of orthokeratology lens, so as to improve the visual quality.
There is a significant relationship between sleep quality and the prevalence of myopia [25]. The incidence of sleep disorders in myopic patients is significantly increased, and it mainly shows problems such as worse subjective sleep quality and insufficient sleep duration [26, 27]. Because overnight orthokeratology lens wear is worn during nocturnal sleep, its effect on the sleep quality of children was explored. Subjective sleep quality, sleep onset time, sleep duration, and PSQI scores increased 1 month after overnight orthokeratology lens wear, while sleep onset time, sleep disturbance, and daytime function scores decreased 3 to 6 months after wear. It was found that children who wore spectacles during treatment always scored 0 on sleep aids because wearing spectacles did not affect their sleep patterns at night. Children wearing orthokeratology lenses will increase the probability of sleep disorders due to maladjustment and anxiety, tension, and other adverse emotions, for this reason, it is necessary to use drugs to help sleep, in order to improve the sleep quality of children and further ensure the mental status of the next day and normal life and learning.This is because when wearing overnight orthokeratology lens at the beginning, children will have anxiety and tension due to concerns about lens detachment and eye damage, which in turn affects the quality of sleep [28]. The overnight orthokeratology lens wear can affect the stability of the tear film, shorten the tear film break-up time, and produce foreign body sensation and burning sensation, which in turn affects the quality of sleep [29]. With the improvement of overnight orthokeratology lens wear comfort and the construction of treatment confidence, the child’s anxiety and other adverse emotions gradually disappeared, for which the subjective sleep quality was gradually improved [30]. Subsequently, QOL scale was used to evaluate the QOL of the children, and the results showed that the PF, RP, BP, CH, VT, SF, RE, and MH scores were significantly increased after overnight orthokeratology lens wear for 1 to 6 months, and were higher than those of the children wearing the glass, indicating that orthokeratology overnight lens wear could improve QOL.