Effects of low-level LED red-light therapy on axial elongation in hyperopic children: A bidirectional cohort study
Li Y, Zhou C, Ji Q, Ding G, Qi X, Li X, Li J, Qian X
Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy · 0 citations
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
- Cohort study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2026-01-10 · Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther · vol. 57 · p. 105341
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 1 citation · more than 89% of similar papers · 5.2× the field average
- References
- 41 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY-NC-ND
- Research areas
- Laser Applications in Dentistry and Medicine · Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies · Intraocular Surgery and Lenses
- Keywords
- Elongation, Refractive error, Cohort study, Prospective cohort study, Eye disease
- MeSH
- humans, hyperopia, cohort studies, adolescent, child, child, preschool, female, male, axial length, eye, low-level light therapy, red light
8 authors
From CN
- Ya LiTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
- Chuyu ZhouTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
- Qingyun JiTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
- Gang DingTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
- Xiaoli QiTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
- Xue LiTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital; Tianjin Medical University
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate whether low-level LED red-light therapy promotes axial elongation in hyperopic children.
Methods
This bidirectional cohort study included 201 hyperopic children aged 4 -13 years. Participants were divided into two groups: the LED group (n = 51), who received low-level LED red-light therapy, and the spectacle-only comparison group (n = 150). Axial length (AL) was measured at baseline and each follow-up. Longitudinal changes in AL were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model (LMM). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was performed as a sensitivity analysis to minimize potential confounding. In a subgroup of 40 anisometropic children who received unilateral LED treatment, interocular comparisons between treated and fellow eyes were conducted using paired t-tests, and within-subject LMM analyses to assess eye-specific treatment effects.
Results
The LED group showed a significantly faster rate of axial elongation than the comparison group (interaction β=+0.082 mm/year, 95% CI: 0.042 to 0.122; p < 0.001). In the anisometropic subgroup, treated eyes elongated significantly faster than fellow eyes (mean difference = +0.167 mm/year, 95% CI: 0.109-0.226; p < 0.001), leading to a reduction in interocular axial length disparity. LMM confirmed a greater time-dependent increase in treated eyes (β = +0.151 mm/year, 95% CI: 0.102-0.199; p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Low-level LED red-light therapy significantly accelerates axial elongation in hyperopic children and reduces interocular differences in anisometropic cases, suggesting that it may promote more balanced binocular refractive development.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY-NC-ND).
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