Abstract: A system and method for treating and preventing loss of visual acuity. The system comprises a vision correcting lens, such as a contact lens, having a material with a regular pattern of orientation of polarizable molecular bonds, so as to create a birefringent effect. Off-axis light rays are refracted through the contact lens so as to focus in front of the retina, whereas on-axis light rays pass through the contact lens without refraction, such that their focal point on the fovea is unaltered. In an exemplary embodiment, a contact lens of the present invention is capable of independently altering the refractive state of the eye in relation to fovea and peripheral retina so as to simultaneously correcting visual acuity while minimizing the signal for axial growth and hence myopic progression.