A group of researchers in Japan has seen positive results in clinical research that uses red light to deter the progression of myopia in children and teenagers.
Myopia, or near-sightedness, is often caused by the excessive elongation of the eyeball, which inhibits the retina, causing far-away objects to appear blurry. In serious cases, people can lose their eyesight.
A group led by Professor Ohno Kyoko at Tokyo Medical and Dental University has been running a study, in which red light is shown into the eyes of 30 individuals aged between 8 and 18 with serious myopic conditions.
The therapy was administered for 3 minutes per session, twice a day over five days per week.
Preliminary data obtained after six months into the experiment showed the axial length had been shortened by 0.05 millimeters or more in the right eyes of 16 subjects and in the left eyes of 18. Normally the length of the eyeball can never be shortened once it is elongated.
In addition, around half of the participants showed a slight improvement in a refraction test, which is used to measure the degree of near-sightedness.
The red-light therapy has been approved for children in some countries, but not in Japan.
The group says it will continue the test over a one-year period before analyzing its effectiveness and safety.
Professor Ohno notes some of the subjects said they feel it is easier to look at far-away objects. She also says she was surprised to see improvement in half of the participants.
by Wild_Ebb5097
