MESA, Ariz.—Paragon Vision Sciences, a leader in orthokeratology, today announced approval from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and commercial availability of its corneal reshaping/orthokeratology brand, Paragon CRT Contact Lenses in China. The contact lenses, a non-surgical treatment option for managing myopia, the leading cause of vision impairment worldwide, according to an announcement from Paragon.

In China, one out of three people above the age of five suffers from myopia, according to the National Visual Health White paper released in June 2016 by the China Health Development Research Center at Peking University. According to the report, by 2020, nearly 700 million people are expected to have myopia in China—twice the population of the U.S.

Orthokeratology (also known as Ortho-K, corneal reshaping and corneal refractive therapy) is a non-surgical option used to treat nearsightedness and low degrees of astigmatism using therapeutic contact lenses worn overnight. While asleep, the lenses gently reshape the front surface of the cornea resulting in clear vision the following day after the therapeutic CRT lenses are removed.

“Dramatic increases in and projections for the prevalence of myopia worldwide are a serious public health concern,” said Richard Jeffries, president, Paragon Vision Sciences. “The practice of using overnight corneal reshaping with contact lenses to treat myopia is global and growing. With the availability of Paragon CRT Contact Lenses in China, eyecare practitioners have another evidence-based treatment option to help them treat myopia in children.”

Essilor China will serve as the exclusive distributor for Paragon CRT Contact Lenses in China. The lenses will be widely available to eyecare practitioners within the next few months.

In June, 2002, Paragon CRT Contact Lenses became the first overnight corneal reshaping contact lenses to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). To date, over 1.5 million Paragon CRT contact lenses have been sold in 50 countries.