An update about childhood myopia control in Jan 2024: RLRL, is it a hope or a hype??
A hot topic about childhood myopia control recently: a so-called Repeated Low-level Red Light (RLRL) therapy is emerging to be a very effective regime in controlling, maybe even reversing myopia!!🤓 Is it a hope or a hype???🤔
The above research report has provided us new insight. In a nutshell, the research team reviewed the overall outcome of atropine and RLRL, two regimes previously reported by others as the most effective control of childhood myopia growth, versus other optical intervention. They found that although atropine and RLRL showed promising effects initially, their rebound effects after cessation were also comparatively higher than other optical myopia controlling regimes such as spectacles designed for myopia intervention (Hoya MiyoSmart and Essilor Stellest) soft multifocal contact lenses and orthokeratology. The team called for further investigations to elucidate the mechanism of action of different intervention.
Technology is advancing everyday, we all hope that scientific research can lead to effective and safer myopia control regime for our children. However, rigorous science is always needed to verify the effectiveness and, more importantly, the safety of any emerging intervention. So maybe we all should be a bit more patient for now.
As an old saying goes: “More haste, less speed”
Maybe it's just like nurtuing our kids. Sometimes strong tactics may not be working as expected, but a balanced strategy may bring out the best!
So what would be your recommendation, Dr. Marco?
It is quite a scientific consensus that more than 14 hours of outdoor activities per week is a very effective way of delaying myopia onset of children. I have been practicing this strategy for my kids. My boy is 13 and my girl is almost 10 now. Both of them are still hyperopic (long-sightedness) with brilliant visual acuity (2.0 or 20/10) although my wife is highly myopic (-8D) while I am moderately myopic (-4D), posing them quite an elevated risk of myopia development.