Red-light therapy slows myopia progression in children, reducing elongation of the eye and improving vision.
Scientists estimate that the number of people with myopia – commonly known as nearsightedness – will be as high as 4.7 million by 2050. Correcting myopia is costly and typically involves prescription glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. A recent review and meta-analysis found that repeated low-level red-light therapy improves myopia progression in children.
Researchers analyzed the findings of five randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of repeated low-level red-light therapy on myopia versus prescription glasses in children. The studies included 833 participants, about half of whom received red-light therapy. The parameters measured included axial length (distance from the front to the back of the eye), spherical equivalent refraction (the power needed to correct vision), and subfoveal choroidal thickness (thickness of the layer beneath the central part of the retina).
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They found that repeated red-light therapy improved all vision parameters at multiple follow-up periods during the studies. At the 12-month follow-up assessment, the children experienced a 0.31-millimeter decrease in axial length and a 0.63 increase in spherical equivalent refraction, indicating marked improvements in myopia progression and eye structure. These findings suggest that repeated low-level red-light therapy effectively slows or reduces myopia progression in children, leading to less elongation of the eyeball and improved vision.
Red-light therapy is a form of photobiomodulation, a non-invasive, light-based therapeutic technique. Photobiomodulation employs specific wavelengths of light to stimulate biological processes within cells and tissues, triggering a cascade of physiological responses. Evidence suggests photobiomodulation has potential applications in medicine, dentistry, cosmetic procedures, and scientific research. Learn more about photobiomodulation in our overview article.