Leber Matheus Henrique Monteiro, Milbradt Tanize Louize, Fujimura Alexandre Yamada, Silva Yasmin Picanco, Amaral Dillan Cunha, Leber Henrique Monteiro, Belfort Rubens
Department of Medicine, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
Department of Medicine, Marília Medical School, Marília, SP, Brazil.
Curr Eye Res. 2025 Nov;50(11):1085-1093. doi: 10.1080/02713683.2025.2516007. Epub 2025 Jun 17.
Myopia is a significant public health concern with increased risk of ocular complications. Intense Foveal Red Light (IFRL) therapy has been explored in myopia control, but its efficacy at the pre-myopic stage remains underexplored. The use of this therapy in a population without a myopia diagnosis may offer a new window for the prophylactic application of IFRL therapy. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of IFRL therapy in children with pre-myopia.
PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies investigating the effects of IFRL therapy on myopia incidence, changes in axial length (AL), choroidal thickness (CT), and cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SER). Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to estimate the pooled effect sizes.
Of 365 studies identified, 4 met the criteria, totaling 619 participants (mean age 8.48 years, 51.8% female). At 6 months, IFRL significantly reduced myopia incidence (Risk Difference [RD] - 0.1; 95% CI -0.15 to -0.05; < 0.01), with benefits persisting at 12 months (RD -0.17; 95% CI -0.26 to 0.09; < 0.01). IFRL also reduced AL at 6 months (Mean Difference [MD] - 0.12 mm; 95% CI -0.16 to -0.09; < 0.01) and 12 months (MD -0.18 mm; 95% CI -0.23 to -0.14; < 0.01), increased CT (MD 22.34 µm; 95% CI 5.45-39.24; < 0.01), and improved SER at 6 (MD 0.27 D; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.32; < 0.01) and 12 months (MD 0.36 D; 95% CI 0.27-0.46; < 0.01).
IFRL effectively reduced myopia incidence, AL, and improved SER and CT. These findings support further research on its long-term efficacy and safety, particularly regarding potential adverse effects and durability of outcomes. Overall, IFRL may offer a preventive strategy for pre-myopic children.
近视是一个重大的公共卫生问题，眼部并发症风险增加。高强度中央凹红光（IFRL）疗法已在近视控制中得到探索，但其在近视前期阶段的疗效仍未得到充分研究。在未诊断为近视的人群中使用这种疗法可能为IFRL疗法的预防性应用提供一个新窗口。本荟萃分析的目的是确定IFRL疗法对近视前期儿童的有效性。
系统检索PubMed、Embase和Cochrane图书馆，查找研究IFRL疗法对近视发生率、眼轴长度（AL）变化、脉络膜厚度（CT）和散瞳等效球镜度（SER）影响的研究。两名独立的评审员筛选研究、提取数据并评估偏倚风险。使用随机效应模型进行荟萃分析，以估计合并效应量。
在识别出的365项研究中，4项符合标准，共有619名参与者（平均年龄8.48岁，女性占51.8%）。在6个月时，IFRL显著降低了近视发生率（风险差异[RD] -0.1；95%置信区间-0.15至-0.05；P<0.01），这种益处持续到12个月（RD -0.17；95%置信区间-0.26至-0.09；P<0.01）。IFRL在6个月时（平均差异[MD] -0.12mm；95%置信区间-0.16至-0.09；P<0.01）和12个月时（MD -0.18mm；95%置信区间-0.23至-0.14；P<0.01）也减少了眼轴长度，增加了脉络膜厚度（MD 22.34µm；95%置信区间5.45 - 39.24；P<0.01），并在6个月时（MD 0.27D；95%置信区间0.23至0.32；P<0.01）和12个月时（MD 0.36D；95%置信区间0.27 - 0.46；P<0.01）改善了等效球镜度。
IFRL有效降低了近视发生率、眼轴长度，并改善了等效球镜度和脉络膜厚度。这些发现支持对其长期疗效和安全性进行进一步研究，特别是关于潜在的不良反应和结果的持久性。总体而言，IFRL可能为近视前期儿童提供一种预防策略。
