Top red light therapy stories of 2024 report potential, caution
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Red light therapy, a relatively new treatment option, has made waves recently as studies investigate its potential for controlling myopia in children.
While experts seem to urge caution in using this treatment modality for children, some research also indicates that the therapy has promise, yielding results similar to other myopia treatments.
Read below for summaries of these news stories and more.
VIDEO: Expert urges caution in use of red light therapy for myopia control
The use of repeated low-level red light therapy to control myopia is gaining popularity around the world, but clinicians should exercise caution with these devices, according to a speaker at Vision Expo East.
“While some of the evidence will certainly suggest that it works, there’s a lack of evidence to date looking at the long-term safety [and] ... rebound when people stop using these devices,” Lyndon Jones, BSc, PhD, DSc, FCAHS, FCOptom, DipCLP, DipOrth, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, said in this Healio video. Watch here.
Low-level red light, atropine result in similar vascular changes in premyopic children
Treatment with low-level red light therapy and atropine led to similar increases in superficial retinal vascular density in premyopic children, whereas only red light therapy affected deep retinal vascular density, according to research.
“Many studies showed that low-dose atropine could effectively delay the progression of myopia in children,” Lili Shang, from the department of ophthalmology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and colleagues wrote in Translational Vision Science & Technology. “Additionally, repeated low-level red light is a newly emerging method to effectively control myopia progression. However, the mechanisms by which these two methods delay myopia progression remain unclear.” Read more.
Researchers caution clinicians against using two devices for red-light myopia treatment
Researchers cautioned clinicians to strongly reconsider using low-level red-light therapy in children with myopia, citing safety concerns revealed by a study published in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.
“To date, there are no published studies that have used sensitive enough functional testing and high-resolution imaging to assess the retina,” study author Lisa A. Ostrin, OD, PhD, FAAO, FARVO, associate professor at University of Houston College of Optometry, told Healio. “Additionally, there are no long-term studies; therefore, potential long-term side effects remain unknown.” Read more.
Low-level red light therapy superior to ortho-K for myopia control at 1 year
Low-level red light therapy was superior to orthokeratology lenses at slowing myopia progression in children in the first year of treatment, though the difference was not significant in the second year, according to study results.
“The comparative long-term efficacy of the repeated low-level red light therapy based on photobiomodulation vs. orthokeratology lenses based on peripheral myopic defocus principles remains uncertain,” Jing-Ru Sun, MM, and colleagues from the department of optometry at Jinhua Eye Hospital wrote in Optometry and Vision Science. “This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the effectiveness of repeated low-level red light therapy and orthokeratology lenses in controlling myopia in children over a 2-year period.” Read more.