Axial Shortening in Myopic Children after Repeated Low-Level Red-Light Therapy: Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Trial

Wei Wang, Yu Jiang, Zhuoting Zhu, Shiran Zhang, Meng Xuan, Xingping Tan, Xiangbin Kong, Hui Zhong, Gabriella Bulloch, Ruilin Xiong, Yixiong Yuan, Yanping Chen, Jian Zhang, Junwen Zeng, Ian G. Morgan, Mingguang He*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Introduction: Axial length (AL) elongation in myopia is considered irreversible. We aimed to systemically report unexpected AL shortening observed in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) after repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy. Methods: This is a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, single-masked RCT. Two hundred sixty-four myopic children aged 8–13 years allocated to RLRL treatment (intervention group) or a single vision spectacle (SVS, control group) were included. AL was measured using an IOL-master 500 at baseline, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up visits. AL shortening was defined as AL reduction from baseline to follow-up visits at three cutoffs: > 0.05 mm, > 0.10 mm, and > 0.20 mm. Frequency of AL shortening at different cutoffs was calculated. Analysis was done with intent to treat (ITT). Results: At 12-months follow up, frequency of AL shortening > 0.05 mm was 26/119 (21.85%) and 2/145 (1.38%) for the RLRL group versus the control group, respectively. The frequency was 18/119 (15.13%) versus 0/145 (0%) for AL shortening > 0.10 mm, and 7/119 (5.88%) versus 0/145 (0%), for AL shortening > 0.20 mm, respectively (p < 0.001). Mean AL shortening after 12 months (SD) was −0.156 (0.086) mm in the RLRL group and −0.06 mm in the control group. Age was significantly associated with AL shortening in the multivariable analysis. For the RLRL group that exhibited AL shortening (n = 56), choroidal thickness (ChT) thickening (0.056 mm) could only explain 28.3% of AL shortening (−0.20 mm). Conclusion: Nearly a quarter of children had > 0.05 mm AL shortening following 12 months of RLRL therapy, whereas AL shortening rarely occurred among controls. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04073238).

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1223-1237
    Number of pages15
    JournalOphthalmology and Therapy
    Volume12
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2023

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Axial Shortening in Myopic Children after Repeated Low-Level Red-Light Therapy: Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Trial'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this