Repeated Low-Level Red-Light Therapy Slows Myopia Progression, Axial Elongation

Repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy slows myopia progression and axial elongation in children with myopia, according to a study published in Ophthalmology. 

Researchers enrolled 112 children with myopia in a randomized, double-blind, controlled study and stratified them according to treatment method. Participants underwent either RLRL therapy (n=56; 46.6% boys; mean age, 10.3 years) or sham treatment (n=55; 53.6% boys; mean age, 9.86 years). 

Patients followed a treatment schedule of 3 minutes per session, twice per day with a 4-hour interval between sessions. RLRL was provided by a desktop red light therapy device and caretakers monitored compliance with a treatment log. The same device was used in the control group, but with only 10% of the power. Participants underwent cycloplegic refraction and axial length measurements at baseline and 6-month follow-up.

According to the report, the mean [SD] spherical equivalent (SER) change over 6 months was 0.06 [0.30] diopters (D) in the RLRL group and -0.11 [0.33] D in the sham device control group (P =.003). Axial length (AL) increased significantly more among individuals treated with the sham device (0.13 [0.10] mm) compared with children receiving RLRL therapy (0.02 [0.11] mm; P <.001). Children in the sham treatment group also experienced more vision loss (0.076 [0.189] logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) compared with their peers in the RLRL group (-0.002 [0.172] logMAR; P =.013).

No treatment-related adverse events were reported. 

“RLRL treatment slowed myopia progression by 0.167 D and reduced axial elongation by 0.101 mm over 6 months when compared against a sham device control group,” according to the researchers. “There were no reported treatment-related adverse events. Our results provide new evidence for RLRL treatment as an effective and safe intervention against myopia progression.”

Study limitations include a short trial duration, the inability to measure rebounding effects after treatment, and the potential for the sham treatment to affect outcomes.