The world’s first evidence-based, home-use, red-light therapy to manage myopia launched at the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress (APAO) 2023 in Kuala Lumpur
The patented Eyerising Myopia Management Device system has been clinically proven to control myopia progression by almost 90%.
KUALA LUMPUR, 24 February 2023 – The Eyerising Myopia Management Device was launched by Eyerising International Pty Ltd (Eyerising International), an Australian MedTech company, at an event held recently at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.
Held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress, the event was attended by nearly 100 eye care practitioners (ECPs), key opinion leaders (KOLs), and members of the industry from across the Asia-Pacific including Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan.
As well as presentations from renowned international authorities on myopia, guests had the opportunity for hands-on demonstrations of the device, the world’s first at-home red-light therapy myopia management system.
What is low-level red-light therapy
A safe, easy-to-use technology, the device’s repeated low-level red-light therapy (RLRL) has been clinically proven to control myopia progression in children aged 3 to 16 by up to 87.7% [1], without the need for additional medications, eye drops or contact lenses, and right in the comfort of their own home.
“When a child is diagnosed with myopia, it is vital to manage its progression as soon as possible, because the sooner it is controlled, the better chance to avoid the children becoming high myopia when they reach adulthood. This intervention will therefore minimize the risk of developing sight-threatening disorders such as retinal dystrophy in later life,” said Professor He Mingguang, from the Centre of Eye Research in Australia, who spoke at the launch.
He added, “Evidence-based treatments available for managing myopia in young children today range from spectacles, contact lenses and atropine eyedrops. The device is the first evidence-based red light therapy that has demonstrated its ability to effectively and safely control the progression of childhood myopia but also, in many cases, even can sustainably shorten a patient’s axial length.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the estimated global costs of productivity losses associated with vision impairment from uncorrected myopia was US$244 billion in 2015 [2]. At the current rate of progression, it is anticipated that one in two people globally will be myopic by 2050, with 20% at risk of high myopia [3].
If left untreated, myopia can lead to various sight-threatening conditions in later life – including retinal detachment, myopia maculopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts – and will be the world’s leading cause of blindness [3].
Paul Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Eyerising International said, “The device’s excellent efficacy lies in our patented, repeated low-level red-light therapy which works by improving ocular blood flow to thicken the choroidal layer of the wall of the eye which strengthens the eye and reduces further elongation, thereby reducing the myopia progression.”
“Eyecare professionals now have a new tool in the myopia control toolkit. With the device, treatment can begin potentially sooner, offered as a new adjunct therapy with contact lenses or defocus spectacles, and additionally, as an alternative therapy for patients not responding to, or having complications with, their existing myopia control treatments.”
Prevalence of myopia in Asia
Myopia is increasing in prevalence and severity in children across Asia. The prevalence of myopia in Southeast Asia is expected to increase from 39% currently to 62% in 2050 [4]. In Taiwan, the prevalence of myopia in school-going children tripled between 1983 and 2017, with recent survey data indicating more than 90% of high school students are myopic [5]. A recent study found that that 96.5% of Korean male high school students were myopic [6].
References:
[1] Jiang Yu, et al. “Effect of repeated low-level red-light therapy for myopia control in children: a multicentre randomized controlled trial. ”Ophthalmology. 129.5 (2022): 509-519
[2] Bullimore MA, Brennan NA. Myopia control: why each diopter matters. Optometry and Vision Science. 2019 Jun 1;96(6):463-5. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001367. https://journals.lww.com/optvissci/subjects/Public%20Health/Abstract/2019/06000/Myopia_Control__Why_Each_Diopter_Matters.11.aspx. Accessed on 27 Feb 2023.
[3] Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, et al. Global Prevalance of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 to 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016 May;123(5):1036-42. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26875007/. Accessed on 27 Feb 2023.
[4] Current and projected 2050 myopia prevalence by region.(Johnson & Johnson Vision and Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.)
[5] Tzu-Hsun Tsai, Yao-Lin Liu, et al. Evolution of the Prevalence of Myopia among Taiwanese Schoolchildren (A Review of Survey Data from 1983 through 2017) Ophthalmology VOLUME 128, ISSUE 2, P290-301, FEBRUARY 2021
[6] Jung et al. Prevalence of Myopia and its Association with Body Stature and Educational Level in 19-Year-Old Male Conscripts in Seoul, South Korea. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53(9):5579-83
