Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Annalisa Merelli
Published on 2024-02-02 09:30:32
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a condition that has been increasingly on the rise with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be nearsighted by 2050. This growing trend is particularly common among children, and is attributed to a combination of less time spent outdoors and increased time spent with iPads and iPhones. The condition leads to blurred vision and is caused by the eye growing too long. While treatments such as glasses, contact lenses, and Lasik surgery can help correct the vision, they do not address the underlying condition of myopia. Myopia is associated with several pathologies later in life, such as retinal detachment and glaucoma, raising concerns about its long-term effects.
To combat the rising prevalence of myopia, there has been growing interest in low-level red light (LLRL) therapy, which involves delivering red light directly into the eye through specialized devices. Reports indicate that at least 100,000 children in China and other Asian countries are already using this treatment, and it has been approved in some European countries and Australia. However, as interest in LLRL therapy grows in the United States and the devices become more accessible on online platforms, experts have raised concerns about potential risks. A paper published in the journal Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics urges clinicians and parents not to try the therapy until better safety data becomes available.
The LLRL therapy involves twice-daily sessions of three minutes each and has shown promising results. Other innovations in the treatment of myopia include novel spectacles, contact lenses, and pharmacological options like atropine eye drops, all of which are designed to slow down the progression of the condition. However, LLRL has demonstrated a much higher effectiveness in slowing down myopia progression compared to these other treatment options, with some children even experiencing regression in their myopia, a phenomenon that has been unheard of before.
Despite the promising results, concerns about the safety and potential long-term effects of LLRL therapy have been raised. While studies have shown that the treatment effectively slows myopia progression, researchers have not been able to fully understand the mechanism of how it works and if it could cause other inadvertent damages. There are potential concerns about how the therapy could prevent the retina from developing normally or affect the blood flow to the back of the eye or the sclera. Furthermore, the strong lasers and lack of long-term safety studies add to these concerns.
Ophthalmologists and researchers acknowledge that the treatment offers potential benefits, but more work is needed to ensure its safety before it can be widely adopted as a treatment for myopia. The availability of these devices online and their relatively low expense could make them attractive to families looking for non-invasive treatment options for myopia. However, the potential risks associated with the lack of long-term safety studies highlight the need for further research before LLRL therapy can be considered a standard treatment for myopia.
In conclusion, the rising prevalence of myopia has led to an increased interest in LLRL therapy as a potential treatment option. While the therapy has shown promising results in slowing myopia progression, concerns about its safety and long-term effects need to be addressed before it can be widely adopted. Further research is essential to understand the potential risks and develop safe and effective devices for treating myopia, ensuring that the growing popularity of this treatment does not result in inadvertent harm to patients.
