The first international results of repeated low-level red-light therapy (RLRL) for myopia have recently been announced by Eyerising International, with the conclusion of the company’s 12-month randomised controlled trial at the Australian College of Optometry (ACO) in Melbourne.
The novel therapy, which involves use of a red-light device that patients take home and use for three minutes, twice daily, five days a week, has shown strong clinical efficacy across numerous publications coming out of China. This milestone trial represents the first dataset in a non-Chinese population, with outcomes from other international studies due soon.
In this study, 34 multi-ethnic school-aged children aged 8–13 were recruited from the ACO clinics and randomised to either use single-vision spectacles (SVS) and receive RLRL with the Eyerising device or use SVS only. They were followed up at one, three, six, and 12 months. Over 12 months, patients in the RLRL group showed significantly less myopic progression with mean axial shortening sustained to 12 months of -0.03 mm and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) improvement of +0.09D. This compared to the control group, which showed 0.12 mm axial elongation and -0.21D SER progression. There were no adverse events or structural damage on optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans observed.
… it is the first multi-ethnic international trial to demonstrate both the efficacy and safety of repeated low-level red-light therapy outside of the Chinese population, marking a crucial step in validating the global applicability of this intervention
These results will be presented at the upcoming third congress of the Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmology Society (APSPOS) in Brisbane by study leads Nellie Deen, general manager of city clinics at ACO, and Zeinab Fakih, manager of paediatric services. APSPOS takes place from 29 June to 1 July 2025.
ACO Eye Health has since incorporated RLRL into its myopia clinic framework and will continue to monitor and follow up the trial’s participants, particularly those continuing to use RLRL, for additional learnings as to RLRL’s continued efficacy and safety.
“Of particular interest is RLRL therapy’s role in the management of high myopia, which has not responded to other myopia control options, such as atropine,” Ms Fakih said.
Jason Sun, Managing Director of Eyerising International, said the “milestone study” conducted with the ACO is significant on “two key fronts”.
“Firstly, it is the first multi-ethnic international trial to demonstrate both the efficacy and safety of repeated low-level red-light therapy outside of the Chinese population, marking a crucial step in validating the global applicability of this intervention.
“Secondly, the efficacy outcomes observed at ACO are even more compelling than those in our pivotal Chinese trials, with axial length shortening sustained over 12 months – an unprecedented finding in myopia management. These results reinforce the transformative potential of our technology as we continue to build a robust, international evidence base.”
The trial adds to the growing and now international evidence base for RLRL as an intervention for myopia management, with further study results anticipated from Japan and Europe in the coming months.
