Shining a (Red) Light on Myopia

Developed by Mingguang He, ERI’s Chief Medical Officer and Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology at the Hongkong Polytech University – and a global expert in vision-related clinical and epidemiologic research whose publications have attracted more than 13,000 citations – the Eyerising Myopia Management Device delivers repeated low-level red-light therapy to the ocular fundus, stimulating and increasing the patient’s blood flow to rethicken the choroid layer, thus helping to slow the axial length’s further elongation and control the myopia progression. 

The device’s has proven effective in the treatment of myopia (1). In one clinical trial, children in an RLRL-plus-spectacles group had a 76.6 percent reduction in myopia progression, overall, compared with children in the single vision spectacles-only group (SVS). There was an 87.7 percent reduction in children who had high compliance with the treatment schedule (>75%). With no known significant side effects, and the overall, the RLRL treatment was well tolerated by the children participating in the trial. Trial participants were invited to enrol in a follow-up study for a further 12 months. Those children who continued with RLRL therapy had a 75% reduction in myopia progression, and those who switched to RLRL therapy in the second year had a 31% reduction in myopia progression when compared with those children who stayed with SVS (2).

Eyerising’s Myopia Management Device is a powerful addition to the clinician’s existing myopia toolkit, removing tears and complications that limit compliance. A key advantage of RLRL therapy is convenience – under parental supervision, children can use the device at home for just three minutes, twice a day, five days a week. And the simple touchscreen control makes it suitable for children as young as three years old. 

The device securely shares patient compliance data with practitioners, enabling superior follow-up assessment, and sends reminders to the parent or guardian when the patient misses treatment to maximize patient treatment efficacy. Usable as a stand-alone therapy without eyedrops, lenses or complications, the Myopia Management Device can also act as a powerful adjunct to existing therapies for patients who are not responding to Ortho-k.