I agree, but having spoken with the surgeon, it turns out he has done over 300 of these now and there are some more papers on the way. The issue with the stats is that the patients requested that the other eye get done ASAP so that depleted the control group. I think if you look at the standard error in figure 2, it is fairly obvious that there is a definite difference between the two groups at year 4. You have to consider that the control is the same person so it is quite impressive. The important thing also is that the idea is to prevent significant progression of myopia in adult life over the long term, not to cure the pathological process per se. I am also told that this new technique employs much more tension and is far better at controlling staphyloma progression, which is much more significant than axial length. Personally, I would want to see data on this (i.e. depth and grade of staphyloma over 5-10 years after surgery).
My two cents, I would like to see some statistics comparing the axial length change in the treated versus control group.
Good luck!
You're a wonderful role model for all of us who must contend with difficult-to-treat health problems. Your energy and initiative are a real inspiration. Keep us posted.