SynthesisClinical & experimental ophthalmology2026
Duration-Dependent Efficacy and Clinical Safety of Repeated Low-Level Red-Light Therapy for Paediatric Myopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Clinical & experimental ophthalmology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Short-Term Effects of Low-Level Red-Light Therapy on Central Retinal Function: A Combined Pattern ERG and Photopic ERG Study.Vision (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRepeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy is a novel, non-invasive intervention for controlling paediatric myopia progression. Despite increasing clinical use, questions remain regarding the magnitude, durability, and safety of treatment effects. This study evaluated its efficacy and safety based on randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence.
methodsPubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched through August 2025 for RCTs comparing RLRL with control in children (< 18 years). The primary outcome was spherical equivalent refraction (SER); secondary outcomes included axial length (AL), choroidal thickness (ChT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal thickness (CCT), lens thickness (LT), and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA). Evidence certainty was assessed using the GRADE framework.
resultsTwenty-eight RCTs (3573 participants) were included. RLRL therapy achieved duration-dependent myopia control (p < 0.05), with pooled improvements versus control at 12 months of +0.68 D in SER, -0.30 mm in AL, and +26.7 μm in ChT. Subgroup analysis showed greater efficacy in children with higher baseline myopia (p < 0.0001), with comparable effects between 5- and 7-day regimens. UCVA was higher with RLRL therapy. ACD, CCT, and LT were unchanged. Reported adverse events were mild and transient, with no consistent structural or functional abnormalities described.
conclusionsRLRL was associated with duration-dependent reductions in myopia progression up to 1 year. Reported structural parameters remained stable and adverse events were generally mild. Moderate-certainty evidence supports improvement in SER and ChT, whereas evidence for AL remains of lower certainty. Longer-term trials incorporating comprehensive retinal safety assessment are required.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD420251112677.
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