Effect of Repeated Intense Foveal Red-Light Therapy in Children with Pre-Myopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Leber MHM, Milbradt TL, Fujimura AY, Silva YP, Amaral DC, Leber HM, Belfort R
Current eye research · 1 citation
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Clinical events such as disease or death
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2025-06-17 · Curr Eye Res · vol. 50 · issue 11 · pp. 1085–1093
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Cited
- 11 citations · more than 92% of similar papers · 2.9× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 42 works
- Access
- Paywalled · PUBLIC-DOMAIN
- Research areas
- Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies · Retinal Diseases and Treatments · Retinopathy of Prematurity Studies
- Keywords
- Medicine, Meta-analysis, Ophthalmology, Cochrane Library, Incidence (geometry), Randomized controlled trial, Population, Internal medicine
- MeSH
- fovea centralis, humans, myopia, refraction, ocular, phototherapy, visual acuity, child, randomized controlled trials as topic, axial length, eye
7 authors
From BR, HU
- Matheus Henrique Monteiro Leber · correspondingUniversidade Federal de Santa Maria
- Tanize Louize MilbradtUniversidade Federal de Santa Maria
- Alexandre Yamada FujimuraFaculdade de Medicina de Marília
- Yasmin Picanço SilvaUniversity of Debrecen
- Dillan Cunha AmaralUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- Henrique Monteiro LeberFundação Técnico Educacional Souza Marques
Abstract
Purpose
Myopia is a significant public health concern with increased risk of ocular complications. Intense Foveal Red Light (IFRL) therapy has been explored in myopia control, but its efficacy at the pre-myopic stage remains underexplored. The use of this therapy in a population without a myopia diagnosis may offer a new window for the prophylactic application of IFRL therapy. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of IFRL therapy in children with pre-myopia.
Methods
PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies investigating the effects of IFRL therapy on myopia incidence, changes in axial length (AL), choroidal thickness (CT), and cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SER). Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to estimate the pooled effect sizes.
Results
Of 365 studies identified, 4 met the criteria, totaling 619 participants (mean age 8.48 years, 51.8% female). At 6 months, IFRL significantly reduced myopia incidence (Risk Difference [RD] - 0.1; 95% CI -0.15 to -0.05; p p p p p p p < 0.01).
Conclusion
IFRL effectively reduced myopia incidence, AL, and improved SER and CT. These findings support further research on its long-term efficacy and safety, particularly regarding potential adverse effects and durability of outcomes. Overall, IFRL may offer a preventive strategy for pre-myopic children.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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