Two studies in the past twenty years have shown that rigid gas permeable contact lenses slow the progression of nearsightedness in children, however both studies failed to provide proper attention to many important variables. While these earlier works produced intriguing results for scientists and clinicians, they contain many problems that challenge the significance of the studies findings. The faults of the previous studies can be summarized in four categories: 1) high losses to follow-up, 2) inadequate control group, 3) incomplete ocular component measurements, and 4) inadequate or poorly selected entry criteria.