Light Signaling and Myopia Development: A Review

Abstract

Introduction:The aim of this article was to comprehensively review the relationship between light exposure and myopia with a focus on the effects of the light wavelength, illuminance, and contrast on the occurrence and progression of myopia. Methods: This review was performed by searching PubMed data sets including research articles and reviews utilizing the terms ''light'', ''myopia'', ''refractive error'', and ''illuminance'', and the review was concluded in November 2021. Myopia onset and progression were closely linked with emmetropization and hyperopia. To better elucidate the mechanism of myopia, some of the articles that focused on this topic were included. This article is based on previously conducted studies and does not contain any new studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. Results: The pathogenesis and prevention of myopia are not completely clear. Studies have provided evidence supporting the idea that light could affect eye growth in three ways. Changing the corresponding conditions will cause changes in the growth rate and mode of the eyes, and preliminary results have shown that FR/NIR (far red/near-infrared) light is effective for myopia in juveniles. Conclusion: This review discusses the results of studies on the effects of light exposure on myopia with the aims of providing clues and a theoretical basis for the use of light to control the development of myopia and offering new ideas for subsequent studies.

Blue Light Exposure: Ocular Hazards and Prevention—A Narrative Review

“…Regarding young children, there is some concern about the effect of blue light, since they have an immature optical system allowing blue light to reach the retina [ 4 ]. Conversely, exposure to blue–violet light has been shown to reduce the risk for myopia in children, making it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the safety of blue light exposure in children [ 108 , 197 – 199 ].…”

A duration-dependent interaction between high-intensity light and optical refocus in the drive for myopia control

“…While we do not have an understanding of the mechanisms to explain these data yet, this duration-dependent synergy may originate from delayed photobiomodulatory processes originating at the retinal level that enhance the drive for emmetropization conferred by RF. 49 Vitreal DOPAC (a metabolite of DA) levels are known to increase with both the duration 50 and intensity 30 of light exposure in chickens, with the circadian rhythm of DA release observed to peak at 12h into the light phase. 51 DA can trigger the release of other neurotransmitters like NO 38 , reducing LIM either alone or in conjunction.…”

Influence of location, season and time of day on the spectral composition of ambient light: Investigation for application in myopia

“…Various animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to different monochromatic wavelengths of light has the potential to influence the ocular growth 15–22 . In humans, a reduced myopic shift was observed in children who were wearing violet‐light‐transmitting contact lenses compared with those wearing partially violet‐light‐blocking contact lenses, for 1 year 17 .…”

“…[13][14][15][16][17] Various animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to different monochromatic wavelengths of light has the potential to influence the ocular growth. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] In humans, a reduced myopic shift was observed in children who were wearing violet-light-transmitting contact lenses compared with those wearing partially violetlight-blocking contact lenses, for 1 year. 17 Likewise, shortterm exposure (1 h) to blue light in young adults either led to minimal changes in axial length or showed an inhibitory effect compared to red, green or white light or darkness.…”