Effects on choroid after repeated low-level red-light therapy in preclinical and clinical myopic children: a randomized controlled trial
Wei H, Thakur S, Zhu Q, Zhou Y, Cao X, Xiao S, Chen Q, Hu M, Zhong H
Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy · 8 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- University or hospital
- Kunming Medical University
- Government
- Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department
- Government
- National Natural Science Foundation of China-Yunnan Joint Fund
- Grants
- Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department (202001AY070001-210); Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department (202301AY070001-002); Kunming Medical University (2024XKTDTS01); National Natural Science Foundation of China-Yunnan Joint Fund (82360212)
Based on 4 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2025-05-29 · Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther · vol. 54 · p. 104651
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 9 citations · more than 97% of similar papers · 5.6× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 60 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY-NC-ND
- Research areas
- Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies · Retinal Diseases and Treatments · Retinopathy of Prematurity Studies
- Keywords
- Randomized controlled trial, Medicine, Light therapy, Internal medicine
- MeSH
- choroid, humans, myopia, tomography, optical coherence, photochemotherapy, prospective studies, child, female, male
9 authors
From CN, SG
- Hongyu WeiKunming Medical University; First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University
- Sahil ThakurSingapore Eye Research Institute
- Qin ZhuYunnan University; Second People's Hospital of Yunnan Province
- Yanrong ZhouYunnan University; Second People's Hospital of Yunnan Province
- Xuejun CaoKunming Medical University; First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University
- Shu‐Yuan XiaoKunming Medical University; First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University
Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate how choroidal thickness (CT) and choriocapillaris flow deficit density (CCD) change within 6000 µm of the macula following repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy, and to assess whether early choroidal alterations can predict long-term myopia control.
Methods
This is a secondary analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial. Two hundred children with spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of -6.00D to +0.50D were randomized to receive either twice-daily RLRL therapy or no additional intervention (control). Axial length (AL), cycloplegic SER, CT, and CCD were measured at the baseline and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Results
Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. In the RLRL group, subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) increased progressively over time, reaching its maximum at 12 months; by contrast, SFCT declined in controls. Within the 6000 µm macular zone, CT rose in the RLRL group but fell uniformly in the control group. Improvements on choriocapillaris blood flow were evident at 3 months post-RLRL, yet these changes were not sustained and did not correlate with longer-term choroidal thickening. A prediction model using only the "6-month SFCT change" demonstrated comparable accuracy for forecasting satisfactory myopia control at 12 months to more complex multivariable models.
Conclusions
RLRL therapy induces a marked and sustained thickening of the macular choroid within 6000 µm, while its effects on choriocapillaris perfusion are transient. Moreover, the magnitude of SFCT increase at 6 months alone provides a reliable early predictor of 12-month myopia control efficacy. Trial Registration This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on January 30, 2021, with trial registration number: ChiCTR2100042836. https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=120971.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY-NC).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.