Time Outdoors in Reducing Myopia: A School-Based Cluster Randomized Trial with Objective Monitoring of Outdoor time and Light Intensity

Implementing a digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategy for children and adolescents in China: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Background

Children and adolescents' myopia is a major public problem. Although the clinical effect of various interventions has been extensively studied, there is a lack of national-level and integral assessments to simultaneously quantify the economics and effectiveness of comprehensive myopia prevention and control programs. We aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness between traditional myopia prevention and control strategy, digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategy and school-based myopia screening program in China.

Methods

A Markov model was used to compare the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness among school-based myopia screening, traditional myopia prevention and control strategy, and digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategy among 6 to 18-year-old rural and urban schoolchildren. Parameters were collected from published sources. The primary outcomes were quality-adjusted life-year, disability-adjusted life-year, incremental cost-utility ratio, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Extensive sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness and sensitivity of base-case analysis.

Findings

Compared with school-based myopia screening strategy, after implementing digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategy, the prevalence of myopia among 18-year-old students in rural and urban areas was reduced by 3.79% and 3.48%, respectively. The incremental cost-utility ratio per quality-adjusted life-year gained with the digital myopia management plan ($11,301 for rural setting, and $10,707 for urban setting) was less than 3 times the per capita gross domestic product in rural settings ($30,501) and less than 1 time the per capita gross domestic product in urban settings ($13,856). In cost-effectiveness analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio produced by digital comprehensive myopia management strategy ($37,446 and $41,814 per disability-adjusted life-year averted in rural and urban settings) slightly exceeded the cost-effectiveness threshold. When assuming perfect compliance, full coverage of outdoor activities and spectacles satisfied the cost-effectiveness threshold, and full coverage of outdoor activities produced the lowest cost ($321 for rural settings and $808 for urban settings).

Interpretations

Health economic evidence confirmed the cost-effectiveness of promoting digital comprehensive myopia prevention and control strategies for schoolchildren at the national level. Sufficient evidence provides an economic and public health reference for further action by governments, policy-makers and other myopia-endemic countries.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China, NSFC (82171051), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (JQ20029), Capital Health Research and Development of Special (2020-2-1081), National Natural Science Foundation of China, NSFC (82071000), National Natural Science Foundation of China, NSFC (8197030562).

Artificial intelligence enabled smart digital eye wearables

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Smart eyewear is a head-worn wearable device that is evolving as the next phase of ubiquitous wearables. Although their applications in healthcare are being explored, they have the potential to revolutionize teleophthalmology care. This review highlights their applications in ophthalmology care and discusses future scope.

RECENT FINDINGS

Smart eyewear equips advanced sensors, optical displays, and processing capabilities in a wearable form factor. Rapid technological developments and the integration of artificial intelligence are expanding their reach from consumer space to healthcare applications. This review systematically presents their applications in treating and managing eye-related conditions. This includes remote assessments, real-time monitoring, telehealth consultations, and the facilitation of personalized interventions. They also serve as low-vision assistive devices to help visually impaired, and can aid physicians with operational and surgical tasks.

SUMMARY

Wearables such as smart eyewear collects rich, continuous, objective, individual-specific data, which is difficult to obtain in a clinical setting. By leveraging sophisticated data processing and artificial intelligence based algorithms, these data can identify at-risk patients, recognize behavioral patterns, and make timely interventions. They promise cost-effective and personalized treatment for vision impairments in an effort to mitigate the global burden of eye-related conditions and aging.

Advances in myopia prevention strategies for school-aged children: a comprehensive review

Myopia has significantly risen in East and Southeast Asia, and the pathological outcomes of this condition, such as myopic maculopathy and optic neuropathy linked to high myopia, have emerged as leading causes of irreversible vision loss. Addressing this issue requires strategies to reduce myopia prevalence and prevent progression to high myopia. Encouraging outdoor activities for schoolchildren and reducing near-work and screen time can effectively prevent myopia development, offering a safe intervention that promotes healthier habits. Several clinical approaches can be employed to decelerate myopia progression, such as administering low-dose atropine eye drops (0.05%), utilizing orthokeratology lenses, implementing soft contact lenses equipped with myopia control features, and incorporating spectacle lenses with aspherical lenslets. When choosing an appropriate strategy, factors such as age, ethnicity, and the rate of myopia progression should be considered. However, some treatments may encounter obstacles such as adverse side effects, high costs, complex procedures, or limited effectiveness. Presently, low-dose atropine (0.05%), soft contact lenses with myopia control features, and orthokeratology lenses appear as promising options for managing myopia. The measures mentioned above are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and researchers are increasingly exploring their combined effects. By advocating for a personalized approach based on individual risk factors and the unique needs of each child, this review aims to contribute to the development of targeted and effective myopia prevention strategies, thereby minimizing the impact of myopia and its related complications among school-aged children in affected regions.

Outdoor Scene Classrooms to Arrest Myopia: Design and Baseline Characteristics

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the impact on childhood myopia of classrooms with spatial properties of classrooms resembling those of outdoor environments. This article describes the design, baseline characteristics, and the acceptability of this strategy.

METHODS

Classrooms had custom-made wallpaper installed with forest and sky scenes that had spatial frequency spectra comparable with outdoor environments (i.e., outdoor scene classrooms). Acceptability of this strategy was evaluated by questionnaires. Outcomes to access the efficacy include cumulative proportion of myopia, change of cycloplegic spherical equivalent refractive error, and axial length.

RESULTS

Ten classes, comprising 520 students, were randomly assigned into outdoor scene or tradition classrooms. There was no difference in refractive status between two groups (myopia/emmetropia/hyperopia, 16.3% vs. 49.4% vs. 34.2% in outdoor scene classrooms, 18.3% vs. 49.0% vs. 32.7% in traditional classrooms; P = .83). Compared with the traditional classrooms, 88.9% of teachers and 87.5% of students felt the outdoor scene classrooms enjoyable, 22.2% of teachers and 75.3% of students reported higher concentration, and 77.8% of teachers and 15.2% of students reported no change. In addition, 44.4% of teachers and 76.0% of students reported higher learning efficiency in the outdoor scene classrooms, and 55.6% of teachers and 18.3% of students reported no change.

CONCLUSIONS

Outdoor scene classrooms are appealing to teachers and students. Outcomes of the study will inform the efficacy of this strategy in Chinese children.

Playground Location and Patterns of Use

Playgrounds have features that benefit visitors, including opportunities to engage in outdoor physical activity. We surveyed 1350 adults visiting 60 playgrounds across the USA in Summer 2021 to determine if distance to the playground from their residence was associated with weekly visit frequency, length of stay, and transportation mode to the site. About 2/3 of respondents living within ½ mile from the playground reported visiting it at least once per week compared with 14.1% of respondents living more than a mile away. Of respondents living within ¼ mile of playgrounds, 75.6% reported walking or biking there. After controlling for socio-demographics, respondents living within ½ mile of the playground had 5.1 times the odds (95% CI: 3.68, 7.04) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with those living further away. Respondents walking or biking to the playground had 6.1 times the odds (95% CI: 4.23, 8.82) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with respondents arriving via motorized transport. For public health purposes, city planners and designers should consider locating playgrounds ½ mile from all residences. Distance is likely the most important factor associated with playground use.

Effect of Repeated Low-level Red Light on Myopia Prevention Among Children in China With Premyopia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Myopia is a global concern, but effective prevention measures remain limited. Premyopia is a refractive state in which children are at higher risk of myopia, meriting preventive interventions.

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of a repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) intervention in preventing incident myopia among children with premyopia.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a 12-month, parallel-group, school-based randomized clinical trial conducted in 10 primary schools in Shanghai, China. A total of 139 children with premyopia (defined as cycloplegic spherical equivalence refraction [SER] of -0.50 to 0.50 diopter [D] in the more myopic eye and having at least 1 parent with SER ≤-3.00 D) in grades 1 to 4 were enrolled between April 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021; the trial was completed August 31, 2022.

Interventions

Children were randomly assigned to 2 groups after grade stratification. Children in the intervention group received RLRL therapy twice per day, 5 days per week, with each session lasting 3 minutes. The intervention was conducted at school during semesters and at home during winter and summer vacations. Children in the control group continued usual activities.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the 12-month incidence rate of myopia (defined as SER ≤-0.50 D). Secondary outcomes included the changes in SER, axial length, vision function, and optical coherence tomography scan results over 12 months. Data from the more myopic eyes were analyzed. Outcomes were analyzed by means of an intention-to-treat method and per-protocol method. The intention-to-treat analysis included participants in both groups at baseline, while the per-protocol analysis included participants in the control group and those in the intervention group who were able to continue the intervention without interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

There were 139 children (mean [SD] age, 8.3 [1.1] years; 71 boys [51.1%]) in the intervention group and 139 children (mean [SD] age, 8.3 [1.1] years; 68 boys [48.9%]) in the control group. The 12-month incidence of myopia was 40.8% (49 of 120) in the intervention group and 61.3% (68 of 111) in the control group, a relative 33.4% reduction in incidence. For children in the intervention group who did not have treatment interruption secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence was 28.1% (9 of 32), a relative 54.1% reduction in incidence. The RLRL intervention significantly reduced the myopic shifts in terms of axial length and SER compared with the control group (mean [SD] axial length, 0.30 [0.27] mm vs 0.47 [0.25] mm; difference, 0.17 mm [95% CI, 0.11-0.23 mm]; mean [SD] SER, -0.35 [0.54] D vs -0.76 [0.60] D; difference, -0.41 D [95% CI, -0.56 to -0.26 D]). No visual acuity or structural damage was noted on optical coherence tomography scans in the intervention group.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial, RLRL therapy was a novel and effective intervention for myopia prevention, with good user acceptability and up to 54.1% reduction in incident myopia within 12 months among children with premyopia.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04825769.

Playgrounds Location and Patterns of Use

Playgrounds have features that benefit visitors, including opportunities to engage in outdoor physical activity. We surveyed 1350 adults visiting 60 playgrounds across the U.S. in Summer 2021 to determine if distance to the playground from their residence was associated with weekly visit frequency, length of stay, and transportation mode to the site. About 2/3 of respondents living within ½ mile from the playground reported visiting it at least once per week compared with 14.1% of respondents living more than a mile away. Of respondents living within ¼ mile of playgrounds, 75.6% reported walking or biking there. After controlling for socio-demographics, respondents living within ½ mile of the playground had 5.1 times the odds (95% CI: 3.68, 7.04) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with those living further away. Respondents walking or biking to the playground had 6.1 times the odds (95% CI: 4.23, 8.82) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with respondents arriving via motorized transport. For public health purposes, city planners and designers should consider locating playgrounds ½ mile from all residences. Distance is likely the most important factor associated with playground use.

Baseline characteristics in the Israel refraction, environment, and devices (iREAD) study

The purpose of this study is to present baseline data from a longitudinal study assessing behavioral factors in three groups of boys in Israel with varying myopia prevalence. Ultra-Orthodox (N = 57), religious (N = 67), and secular (N = 44) Jewish boys (age 8.6 ± 1.4 years) underwent cycloplegic autorefraction and axial-length measurement. Time-outdoors and physical-activity were assessed objectively using an Actiwatch. Ocular history, educational factors, and near-work were assessed with a questionnaire. Group effects were tested and mixed effects logistic and linear regression were used to evaluate behaviors and their relationship to myopia. The prevalence of myopia (≤ - 0.50D) varied by group (ultra-Orthodox: 46%, religious: 25%, secular: 20%, P < 0.021). Refraction was more myopic in the ultra-Orthodox group (P = 0.001). Ultra-Orthodox boys learned to read at a younger age (P < 0.001), spent more hours in school (P < 0.001), spent less time using electronic devices (P < 0.001), and on weekdays, spent less time outdoors (P = 0.02). Increased hours in school (OR 1.70) and near-work (OR 1.22), increased the odds of myopia. Being ultra-Orthodox (P < 0.05) and increased near-work (P = 0.007) were associated with a more negative refraction. Several factors were associated with the prevalence and degree of myopia in young boys in Israel, including being ultra-Orthodox, learning to read at a younger age, and spending more hours in school.

Effect of Low-Concentration Atropine Eyedrops vs Placebo on Myopia Incidence in Children: The LAMP2 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Early onset of myopia is associated with high myopia later in life, and myopia is irreversible once developed.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of low-concentration atropine eyedrops at 0.05% and 0.01% concentration for delaying the onset of myopia.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial conducted at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Eye Centre enrolled 474 nonmyopic children aged 4 through 9 years with cycloplegic spherical equivalent between +1.00 D to 0.00 D and astigmatism less than -1.00 D. The first recruited participant started treatment on July 11, 2017, and the last participant was enrolled on June 4, 2020; the date of the final follow-up session was June 4, 2022.

Interventions

Participants were assigned at random to the 0.05% atropine (n = 160), 0.01% atropine (n = 159), and placebo (n = 155) groups and had eyedrops applied once nightly in both eyes over 2 years.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcomes were the 2-year cumulative incidence rate of myopia (cycloplegic spherical equivalent of at least -0.50 D in either eye) and the percentage of participants with fast myopic shift (spherical equivalent myopic shift of at least 1.00 D).

Results

Of the 474 randomized patients (mean age, 6.8 years; 50% female), 353 (74.5%) completed the trial. The 2-year cumulative incidence of myopia in the 0.05% atropine, 0.01% atropine, and placebo groups were 28.4% (33/116), 45.9% (56/122), and 53.0% (61/115), respectively, and the percentages of participants with fast myopic shift at 2 years were 25.0%, 45.1%, and 53.9%. Compared with the placebo group, the 0.05% atropine group had significantly lower 2-year cumulative myopia incidence (difference, 24.6% [95% CI, 12.0%-36.4%]) and percentage of patients with fast myopic shift (difference, 28.9% [95% CI, 16.5%-40.5%]). Compared with the 0.01% atropine group, the 0.05% atropine group had significantly lower 2-year cumulative myopia incidence (difference, 17.5% [95% CI, 5.2%-29.2%]) and percentage of patients with fast myopic shift (difference, 20.1% [95% CI, 8.0%-31.6%]). The 0.01% atropine and placebo groups were not significantly different in 2-year cumulative myopia incidence or percentage of patients with fast myopic shift. Photophobia was the most common adverse event and was reported by 12.9% of participants in the 0.05% atropine group, 18.9% in the 0.01% atropine group, and 12.2% in the placebo group in the second year.

Conclusions and Relevance

Among children aged 4 to 9 years without myopia, nightly use of 0.05% atropine eyedrops compared with placebo resulted in a significantly lower incidence of myopia and lower percentage of participants with fast myopic shift at 2 years. There was no significant difference between 0.01% atropine and placebo. Further research is needed to replicate the findings, to understand whether this represents a delay or prevention of myopia, and to assess longer-term safety.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-IPR-15006883.

Myopia: why the retina stops inhibiting eye growth

In myopia, the eye grows too long, and the image projected on the retina is poorly focused when subjects look at a distance. While the retina normally controls eye growth by visual processing, it seems to give up during myopia development. But what has changed? To determine whether the sharp image is in front or behind the retinal plane, a comparison of image sharpness in red and blue would provide a reliable cue because focal planes are about 1.3 D apart due to longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA). However, up to now, it could not be demonstrated that the retina does, in fact, such a comparison. We used a new approach: movies were digitally filtered in real time to present either the blue channel of the RGB color format unfiltered while green and red were blurred ("blue in focus"), or the red channel was unfiltered while green and blue were blurred ("red in focus") accordingly to the human LCA function. Here we show that, even though filtered movies looked similar, eyes became significantly shorter when the movie was sharp in the red plane but became longer when it was presented sharp in the blue plane. Strikingly, the eyes of young subjects who were already myopic did not respond at all-showing that their retina could no longer decode the sign of defocus based on LCA. Our findings resolve a long-standing question as to how the human retina detects the sign of defocus. It also suggests a new non-invasive strategy to inhibit early myopia development: keeping the red image plane on a computer screen sharp but low pass filtering the blue.

Effect of Text Messaging Parents of School-Aged Children on Outdoor Time to Control Myopia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Myopia in school-aged children is a public health issue worldwide; consequently, effective interventions to prevent onset and progression are required.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether SMS text messages to parents increase light exposure and time outdoors in school-aged children and provide effective myopia control.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This randomized clinical trial was conducted in China from May 2017 to May 2018, with participants observed for 3 years. Of 528 965 primary school-aged children from Anyang, 3113 were randomly selected. Of these, 268 grade 2 schoolchildren were selected and randomly assigned to SMS and control groups. Data were analyzed from June to December 2021.

INTERVENTIONS

Parents of children in the SMS group were sent text messages twice daily for 1 year to take their children outdoors. All children wore portable light meters to record light exposure on 3 randomly selected days (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) before and after the intervention.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The co-primary outcomes were change in axial length (axial elongation) and change in spherical equivalent refraction (myopic shift) from baseline as measured at the end of the intervention and 3 years later. A secondary outcome was myopia prevalence.

RESULTS

Of 268 grade 2 schoolchildren, 121 (45.1%) were girls, and the mean (SD) age was 8.4 (0.3) years. Compared with the control group, the SMS intervention group demonstrated greater light exposure and higher time outdoors during weekends, and the intervention had significant effect on axial elongation (coefficient, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.17; P = .01). Axial elongation was lower in the SMS group than in the control group during the intervention (0.27 mm [95% CI, 0.24-0.30] vs 0.31 mm [95% CI, 0.29-0.34]; P = .03) and at year 2 (0.39 mm [95% CI, 0.35-0.42] vs 0.46 mm [95% CI, 0.42-0.50]; P = .009) and year 3 (0.30 mm [95% CI, 0.27-0.33] vs 0.35 mm [95% CI, 0.33-0.37]; P = .005) after the intervention. Myopic shift was lower in the SMS group than in the control group at year 2 (-0.69 diopters [D] [95% CI, -0.78 to -0.60] vs -0.82 D [95% CI, -0.91 to -0.73]; P = .04) and year 3 (-0.47 D [95% CI, -0.54 to -0.39] vs -0.60 D [95% CI, -0.67 to -0.53]; P = .01) after the intervention, as was myopia prevalence (year 2: 38.3% [51 of 133] vs 51.1% [68 of 133]; year 3: 46.6% [62 of 133] vs 65.4% [87 of 133]).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this randomized clinical trial, SMS text messages to parents resulted in lower axial elongation and myopia progression in schoolchildren over 3 years, possibly through increased outdoor time and light exposure, showing promise for reducing myopia prevalence.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR-IOC-17010525.

Efficacy and Safety of Consecutive Use of 1% and 0.01% Atropine for Myopia Control in Chinese Children: The Atropine for Children and Adolescent Myopia Progression Study

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of consecutive use of 1% and 0.01% atropine compared with 0.01% atropine alone over 1 year.

METHODS

A total of 207 participants aged 6-12 years with myopia of - 0.50 to - 6.00 D in both eyes were enrolled in this randomized, controlled, non-masked trial and randomly assigned (1:1) to groups A and B. Group A received 1% atropine weekly and were tapered to 0.01% atropine daily at the 6-month visit, and group B received 0.01% atropine daily for 1 year.

RESULTS

Of the 207 participants, 109 were female (52.7%) and the mean (± standard deviation) age was 8.92 ± 1.61 years. Ninety-one participants (87.5%) in group A and 80 participants (77.7%) in group B completed the 1-year treatment. Group A exhibited less refraction progression (- 0.53 ± 0.49 D vs. - 0.74 ± 0.52 D; P = 0.01) and axial elongation (0.26 ± 0.17 mm vs. 0.36 ± 0.21 mm; P < 0.001) over 1 year compared with group B. The changes in refraction (- 0.82 ± 0.45 D vs. - 0.46 ± 0.35 D; P < 0.001) and axial length (0.29 ± 0.12 mm vs. 0.17 ± 0.11 mm; P < 0.001) during the second 6 months in group A were greater than those in group B, with 72.5% of participants presenting refraction rebound. No serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The 1-year results preliminarily suggest that consecutive use of 1% and 0.01% atropine confers an overall better effect in slowing myopia progression than 0.01% atropine alone, despite myopia rebound after the concentration switch. Both regimens were well tolerated. The long-term efficacy and rebound after the concentration switch and regimen optimization warrant future studies to determine.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Clinical Trials.gov PRS (Registration No. NCT03949101).