Early Intervention and Nonpharmacological Therapy of Myopia in Young Adults

Abstract

Myopia is a condition of the eye where parallel rays focus in front of, instead of on, the retina, which results in excessive refractive power of the cornea or the lens or eyeball elongation. Studies carried out in recent years show that the etiology of myopia is complex with genetic and environmental factors playing a role. Refraction defects decrease the quality of vision, while progressing myopia can lead to partial loss of vision, which can be particularly dramatic in young adults. Therefore, it is so crucial to take appropriate actions aimed at preventing myopia progression. This is a review of nonpharmacological therapeutic possibilities of refraction defect prevention in young adults, with special regard to myofascial therapy, osteopathy, and massage of acupuncture points surrounding the eye.

Optical Reflex Treatment of Myopia and Asthenic Form of Accommodation Asthenopia Form the Standpoint of the Methods Used, Effectiveness and Staging

“…Действительно, близорукость встречается более чем у 50 % населения во многих промышленно развитых странах, при этом наблюдается четкая тенденция к увеличению частоты распространения. Например, в некоторых странах Юго-Восточной Азии, в частности в Китае и Южной Корее, распространенность миопии приняла характер своеобразной эпидемии, достигая 85-95 % среди лиц молодого возраста [1][2][3][4]. Исследования, проведенные в последние годы, показывают, что этиология миопии сложна и, несомненно, включает в себя факторы окружающей среды, из которых ведущее место занимает интенсивная зрительная деятельность с электронными средствами отображения информации.…”

Acupuncture and Lifestyle Myopia in Primary School Children—Results from a Transcontinental Pilot Study Performed in Comparison to Moxibustion

“…Myopia has become a major global public health issue worldwide. Lifestyle risk factors are well known and summarized in recent publications [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. It has been shown that there is a relation between reading and writing from a short distance and the development of myopia.…”

“…The constantly increasing number of eye diseases, as a result of too intensive personal computer work, increases the need for adequate treatment methods. In this context evidence-based complementary methods like acupuncture and/or moxibustion could be potential starting points for early intervention of myopia, which is defined as more than equal to −0.50 diopter (D) [ 3 ].…”

“…The purpose of this study was to investigate complementary medical methods (acupuncture and moxibustion) in school children with mild or moderate myopia because conventional medical therapies do not show sufficient improvements [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Acupuncture and moxibustion are among the most important methods used clinically in myopia in school age in China.…”

“…Within this transcontinental (Asia-Europe) prospective study in 44 children with low (<−3.0 D) and medium (between −3.0 D and −6.0 D) myopia [ 3 ] we compared possible treatment effects of acupuncture or moxibustion for the first time. The measurements were performed at the Tongren Eye Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University in Beijing, China and the analysis was performed at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Research Center at the Medical University of Graz, Austria.…”