Can red light stop short-sightedness in children?

Study proves that red light therapy slows down short-sightedness in children

A study conducted at 6 Chinese clinics has come to the conclusion that continuous red light treatment can slow down the progression of short-sightedness (myopia) in children.

For some time now, short-sightedness has been increasing significantly worldwide, particularly in children and adolescents in East and South-East Asian countries. This has led to the establishment of the term “myopia pandemic” in ophthalmology. Attempts to slow down or even stop the progression of myopia with medication (atropine eye drops), defocus glasses or orthokeratology (fixed contact lenses are worn during sleep) have unfortunately not led to any real success.

Remarkable results of the red light therapy study

The results of the red light study are all the more remarkable – especially as it does not appear to have any negative side effects. Over a period of 12 months, this method was able to stop the growth of the eyeball compared to a control group. An eyeball that is too long is usually the cause of short-sightedness, as the focus of the image is in front of the retina and not – as in the normal state – on it.

In the treatment group, the children were exposed to repeated low-dose red light therapy (RLRL) twice a day for 3 minutes on all 7 days of the week. Experts consider light with a wavelength of 650 nm and an intensity of 1,600 lx over this exposure time to be safe, as it is not capable of causing photothermal damage. In the control group, wearing glasses to correct myopia was the only measure taken.

Under RLRL therapy, an adjusted change in eyeball length of -0.06 mm was measured in the treated eyes after 12 months, while in the control group there was an increase in eyeball length of 0.34 mm on average, which corresponds to a difference of almost 0.41 mm.

The treated children also showed a stagnation or even slight improvement in the spherical equivalent, which only changed by 0.11 dioptres, which corresponds to a halt in the progression of myopia. The children in the control group recorded an increase in visual defect of -0.75 dioptres on average.

Conclusion of the RLRL study

No side effects of red light therapy were described by the participating children. The ophthalmological examinations also revealed no evidence of structural changes in the eye.

According to the authors, everything points to red light therapy being an excellent solution for children with high myopia – and the only known method to shorten the axial length. However, it is still unclear how long-lasting the effect of red light therapy is, especially as rebound effects occurred when the therapy was terminated prematurely.

Eliminating myopia in adults

Laser eye surgery for myopia

As soon as the eye is fully grown (from the age of 18), laser eye surgery is a wonderful method of getting rid of glasses. The modern, painless and safe procedures have been performed on an outpatient basis for decades. The particularly gentle and minimally invasive SMILE Pro procedure is especially recommended.

Alternatives to laser eye surgery

For thin corneas or very severe short- or long-sightedness, we use ICL – implantable contact lenses – to give you perfect vision without glasses or contact lenses. The implantation of these state-of-the-art lenses is performed on an outpatient basis and is minimally invasive and the lenses are neither noticeable nor visible.

Sources:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2024.05.023
https://www.myopiaprofile.com/articles/is-red-light-therapy-safe-and-effective-myopia

About EuroEyes

The EuroEyes clinic group is a globally successful company that was founded more than 30 years ago in Hamburg, Germany, where it is still headquartered today. In addition to locations throughout Germany, EuroEyes is also represented in China and Denmark and England. The company offers patients the entire spectrum of refractive surgery to correct refractive errors. Using state-of-the-art laser eye and lens surgery procedures, EuroEyes treats more than 25,000 patients annually with nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia or cataracts. Each of our experienced top doctors performs more than 1,000 eye operations every year. In total, with more than 1,000,000 treatments, we have enabled our patients to live with freedom without glasses and contact lenses.