Japan rings in first soft contact lens for myopia control with MiSight 1 day approval

Commercial launch plans and initial shipment details for Japan will be announced in the coming weeks. Image credit: AdobeStock/svetamart

CooperVision’s MiSight^® 1 day contact lens has gained approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for manufacturing and sale in the country.¹ This marks MiSight 1 day as the first soft contact lens in the country authorized for use by children to correct myopia and has the potential to control its progression, according to a news release.

The lens is now the first and only contact lens approved for myopia control in 3 major markets consisting of Japan, the US, and China. Commercial launch plans and initial shipment details for Japan will be announced in the coming weeks, according to CooperVision.¹

“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. Introducing MiSight 1 day as an accessible tool to help treat the myopia epidemic among Japanese children has the potential to help prevent longer-term ocular health consequences on a significant scale,” said Jennifer Lambert, vice president of Myopia Management and Cornea Care at CooperVision, in the release. “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.”

Currently, Japan has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world, with 77% of children aged 6-11 and 95% of children aged 12-14 classified as myopes. Anticipated to continuing growing, the prevalence of myopia in Japan is “believe 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,” according to the release.¹

As for the MiSight 1 day lenses, axial length elongation and refractive error are both addressed by utilizing ActivControl technology. The 2 treatment zones focus on the anterior portion of the retina to inhibit axial length elongation, with 2 correction zones correcting myopia.¹

Reference:

1. MiSight 1 day becomes first soft contact lens for myopia control approved in Japan. News release. CooperVision. August 28, 2025. Accessed August 28, 2025.