Establishment and validation of a prognostic model for controlling adolescents' myopia progression through repeated low-level red-light therapy.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) therapy has emerged as a possible intervention to control myopia progression. This study aimed to establish and validate a prognostic model for controlling adolescents' myopia progression with RLRL therapy, considering demographic, lifestyle, and ophthalmic parameters.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adolescent myopic patients admitted to Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2022 to June 2023. Patients were divided into a control group and an RLRL treatment group based on their treatment method. Various demographic, lifestyle, and ophthalmic parameters were assessed to identify predictors for treatment response. A comprehensive evaluation using logistic regression and nomogram analysis was performed to identify significant factors associated with treatment outcomes.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 145 patients, comprising 82 in the control group and 63 in the RLRL group. RLRL therapy demonstrated significantly better effectiveness in controlling myopia progression, with a reduction of -0.62 ± 0.24 D in the RLRL group compared to -0.75 ± 0.36 D in the control group (P=0.010). Furthermore, the RLRL group exhibited improved visual acuity (logMAR) of 0.12 ± 0.06 compared to 0.15 ± 0.07 in the control group (P=0.015). Moreover, baseline demographic and ophthalmic characteristics showed significant associations with treatment outcome, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of myopia response to RLRL therapy. The nomogram analysis demonstrated high predictive performance, with an AUC of 0.994.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of RLRL therapy in controlling myopia progression among adolescents. The establishment of a prognostic model incorporating demographic, lifestyle, and ophthalmic factors offer a promising approach for predicting treatment outcome.