Clinical Study Of Acupuncture Combined With Low Intensity Single Wavelength Red Light To Prevent And Control Myopia In Adolescents

AIMTo investigate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture combined with low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy for the prevention and management of mild to moderate myopia in adolescents.This study aims to compare the precise effectiveness of this combined therapy with low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy alone and acupuncture therapy alone in addressing this condition.The goal is to elucidate the role of this approach in the prevention and management of myopia,to determine the benefits of integrating acupuncture and red light therapy in intervening mild to moderate myopia in adolescents,and to provide guidance and reference for clinical practices to more effectively prevent and control myopia progression.METHODSThe study’s sample included 120 patients(240 eyes)aged 10 to 16 years,diagnosed with mild to moderate adolescent myopia,who visited the ophthalmology center between August2021 and December 2021.Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: the control group,who wore ordinary myopic frames alone;the red light instrument group,who used low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy alone;the acupuncture group,who received acupuncture therapy alone;and the combined group,who underwent acupuncture therapy along with low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy.Each group comprised30 participants(60 eyes).In the acupuncture group,intervention was conducted using acupuncture therapy,while the red light instrument group received low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy as intervention.The combined group experienced both acupuncture therapy and low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy as their intervention.In contrast,the control group had no intervention and merely wore ordinary myopic frames on a daily basis.The participants’ visual acuity,refractive error,and axial length were compared before and after the intervention at 1 month,3 months,and 6 months.RESULTS1.Prior to intervention,a comparison of general conditions,including height,age,refraction,naked eye visual acuity,and eye axis length,among the four groups revealed no statistically significant differences(all P>0.05).2.At 6 months post-intervention,the average eye axis length decreased by 0.27±0.03 mm in the combined group,increased by 0.15±0.06 mm in the acupuncture group,decreased by0.19±0.02 mm in the red light instrument group,and increased by 0.30±0.07 mm in the control group.The differences between the four groups at 3 and 6 months before and after the intervention were statistically significant(P>0.05).3.At 6 months post-intervention,the average naked eye visual acuity increased by0.22±0.06 in the combined group,0.12±0.03 in the acupuncture group,0.02±0.04 in the red light instrument group(which was relatively stable),and 0.17±0.06 in the control group.The differences between the four groups at 1,3,and 6 months before and after the intervention were statistically significant P>0.05).4.At 6 months post-intervention,the average refraction change decreased by 0.14±0.04 D in the combined group,increased by 0.26±0.04 D in the acupuncture group,remained stable at0.02±0.01 D in the red light instrument group,and increased by 0.54±0.09 D in the control group.The differences between the four groups at 3 and 6 months before and after the intervention were statistically significant(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:1.Acupuncture therapy alone can improve the naked eye visual acuity of mild to moderate adolescent myopia patients in a short period of time,but it cannot control the growth of eye axis length and refractive error.2.Low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy alone can slow down the growth of axial length and stabilize refractive error at a certain level during the intervention period,but it does not result in significant changes in naked eye visual acuity.3.The combination of acupuncture and low-intensity single-wavelength red light therapy was more effective in improving the naked distance visual acuity for adolescents with mild-to-moderate myopia and reduced the eye axis length and refraction for these individuals.4.No damage related to the anterior segment and fundus of the eye or photoallergy was observed in any of the four patient groups during the intervention period.