ArticleOphthalmology and therapy2025
Is Multiwavelength Photobiomodulation Effective and Safe for Age-Related Macular Degeneration? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Article in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review of neuroprotective therapies for visual acuity preservation in retinitis pigmentosa.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2026Pooled it
- Is Botulinum toxin A effective in treating dry eye disease? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Eye (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Near-Infrared and Red-Light Photobiomodulation for Ocular Aging and Diseases: A Narrative Review.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2026Review
- Photobiomodulation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Framework and Translational Perspective.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Therapeutic efficacy and safety of a multi-wavelength LED irradiation device in a rat model of meibomian gland dysfunction.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Photobiomodulation in animal models of ophthalmic disease: protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of morphological, visual function, and inflammatory outcomes.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Mechanisms and Functions of Chromophore Regeneration in the Classical Visual Cycle: Implications for Retinal Disease Pathogenesis and Therapy.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for ophthalmic diseases: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of disease-specific and shared physiological outcomes.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- [Photobiomodulation for AMD : Statement of the German Society of Ophthalmology, the German Retina Society and the German Professional Association of Ophthalmologists. Status 4 July 2025].Die Ophthalmologie · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThis systematic review and meta-analysis compares the complications and effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy with sham treatment in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a leading cause of visual impairment in older adults, with current treatments primarily focusing on symptom management. PBM therapy is emerging as a potential intervention to improve clinical and anatomical outcomes in patients with AMD, necessitating a comparative analysis with sham treatment to determine its efficacy and safety.
methodsA systematic search was conducted across PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library from inception to January 13, 2025. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) meeting predefined inclusion criteria were selected. Meta-analysis employed random-effects models. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using Cochrane tools.
resultsA total of six studies, comprising 360 patients and 477 eyes, focused on PBM for dry AMD. Five studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) showed no significant improvement with PBM (SMD - 0.30, 95% CI - 0.85 to 0.26, p = 0.30), with high heterogeneity (I
conclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that, to date, there are no significant clinical benefits of PBM therapy for patients with AMD. Further long-term studies are needed to establish its clinical relevance and safety profile.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.