Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug 1;13(8):31.
doi: 10.1167/tvst.13.8.31.

Light Therapy for Myopia Prevention and Control: A Systematic Review on Effectiveness, Safety, and Implementation

Dylan James Chang  1 , Sriram P L  1 , Jooyeon Jeong  1 , Seang-Mei Saw  2   3   4 , Nick Sevdalis  5   6 , Raymond P Najjar  2   3   7   8   9
Affiliations

Light Therapy for Myopia Prevention and Control: A Systematic Review on Effectiveness, Safety, and Implementation

Dylan James Chang et al. Transl Vis Sci Technol. .

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review focuses on the effectiveness, safety, and implementation outcomes of light therapy as an intervention to prevent or control myopia in children.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Web of Science up to January 27, 2024. Effectiveness outcomes included myopia incidence, and changes in axial length (AL), spherical equivalent refraction (SER), and choroidal thickness (CT). Safety outcomes relating to retinal health or damage and implementation outcomes including compliance rates and loss to follow-up were extracted. ROBINS-I, ROB 2, and ROB-2 CRT were used to assess risk of bias.

Results: Nineteen interventional studies were included. Increased outdoor time (n = 3), red-light therapy (n = 13), and increased classroom lighting (n = 1) had a significant effect on myopia incidence, and changes in AL, SER, and CT. Violet-light therapy (n = 2) was only effective in children aged 8 to 10 years and children without eyeglasses with less than 180 minutes of near-work time daily. Two studies using red-light therapy reported adverse effects. For all studies, only compliance rates and loss to follow-up were reported on implementation effectiveness.

Conclusions: Evidence is compelling for the effectiveness of red-light therapy and outdoors time; more data are needed to confirm safety. Robust data are still needed to prove the effectiveness of violet-light and increased classroom lighting. Clearer implementation strategies are needed for all light therapies.

Translational relevance: Light therapy has emerged as effective for myopia prevention and control. This systematic review summarizes the state of knowledge and highlights gaps in safety and implementation for these strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: D.J. Chang, None; S. P.L., None; J. Jeong, None; S.-M. Saw, None; N. Sevdalis is the director of London Safety and Training Solutions Ltd., which offers training and improvement and implementation solutions to healthcare organizations and the pharmaceutical industry; R.P. Najjar has a patent application for a handheld pupillometer (PCT/SG2018/050204): Handheld ophthalmic and neurological screening device

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
PRISMA flow diagram depicting the screening process for the review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jong M, Brennan NA, Bullimore MA.. The role of myopia in 2020 uncorrected global visual impairment. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022; 63(7): 243-A0097–243-A0097.
    1. Tricard D, Marillet S, Ingrand P, Bullimore MA, Bourne RRA, Leveziel N.. Progression of myopia in children and teenagers: a nationwide longitudinal study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2022; 106(8): 1104–1109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Moeschberger ML, Jones LA, Zadnik K.. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children's refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002; 43(12): 3633–3640. - PubMed
    1. Biswas S, El Kareh A, Qureshi M, et al. .. The influence of the environment and lifestyle on myopia. J Physiol Anthropol. 2024; 43(1): 7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Flitcroft DI, He M, Jonas JB, et al. .. IMI - Defining and classifying myopia: a proposed set of standards for clinical and epidemiologic studies. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019; 60(3): M20–M30. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types