A University of Houston optometry researcher warned against using low-level red light (LLRL) therapy to control myopia as it could cause photochemical and thermal damage to the retina.
Lisa Ostrin, associate professor at the UH College of Optometry, recommended in The College of Optometrists journal for clinicians to reconsider using LLRL therapy for myopia in children until safety standards were confirmed.
Children undergoing LLRL therapy are instructed to look into a red light-emitting instrument for three minutes, twice a day, five days a week for the duration of the treatment. The company behind one device reported that it was already being used by 100,000 paediatric patients to treat myopia.
‘Based on measurements in our laboratory, we found that the red-light instruments for myopia exceed safety limits. For both LLRL devices evaluated here, three minutes of continuous viewing approached or surpassed the luminance dose MPE, putting the retina at risk of photochemical damage,’ said Ostrin.