None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Smartphone usage among children is increasing worldwide. Studies have suggested an association between myopia (short-sightedness) and smartphone usage. The prevalence of myopia is increasing at a global scale. Myopia is associated with pathological complications like retinal detachment and degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma. Children with myopia are at risk of developing these sight-threatening complications. Time spent outdoors is a crucial factor in protecting children from developing myopia, as several studies indicate that the high light intensity experienced outdoors inhibits myopia. It is suggested that differences in the spectral composition of light between indoor and outdoor environments is involved in the protective effect of outdoor lighting. The chromaticity of light can alter ocular growth and refractive development. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding which wavelengths/colour of light plays the most significant role. Some suggest that blue light reduces myopia progression, while others have found that red light reduces myopia progression. This project is a two-year interventional study aimed to investigate the effect of different coloured smartphone screen surrounds (blue, red and white-coloured surround) on myopia progression in children. This project will help identify which colour of light is the most effective in slowing myopia progression and give foundation to methods of light stimulation, which can provide a viable option for designing light-based therapies to control myopia.
Interventions
Participants are given the same model of android smartphone to use for two years. The smartphone operates normally but has a built-in app that runs in the background that displays coloured light stimuli consisting of a coloured border at the edge of the screen whenever the screen is on and a 200 msec full-screen coloured flash (same colour as the border) when the screen is initially turned on.
The surrounds (and flashes) will be switched off from 6 pm until 6 am the next day to avoid disruptio
Participants are given the same model of android smartphone to use for two years. The smartphone operates normally but has a built-in app that runs in the background that displays coloured light stimuli consisting of a coloured border at the edge of the screen whenever the screen is on and a 200 msec full-screen coloured flash (same colour as the border) when the screen is initially turned on. The surrounds (and flashes) will be switched off from 6 pm until 6 am the next day to avoid disruption to participants’ circadian rhythm. For the first year, participants will be allocated into two groups by permuted block randomisation, stratified by gender, to receive either blue-coloured stimuli or red-coloured stimuli on the phone. After the outcome measures at 9 months, an analysis will be conducted to determine which colour (red or blue) is most effective at slowing myopia progression. This will determine the allocations made at the beginning of the second year of the study. For the second year, participants who received the most effective coloured stimuli in the first year (as determined by a 9-month analysis) will switch to receiving white-coloured stimuli for the second year. Participants who received the least effective coloured stimuli in the first year will switch to receiving the most effective coloured stimuli for the second year. An example of different coloured stimuli that would be displayed is as follows. Group 1 (20 participants, male & female): Red (1st year)-9 months measure-Blue or White (2nd year) Group 2 (20 participants, male & female): Blue (1st year)-9 months measure-Red or White (2nd year)
Sponsors
The University of Auckland
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
9 Years to 11 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Are between 9 to 11 years of age. • Have a visual acuity of 6/6 each eye with their habitual correction. • Have a refractive error of -1.00D to -3.00D spherical equivalent. • Have astigmatism equal or less than -1.50D • Have anisometropia less than or equal to -1.00D. • Have normal colour vision.
Exclusion criteria
• Have any known systemic abnormalities that might affect visual functions or refractive development. • Have ocular pathology, amblyopia, ocular injury and surgery or other ocular anomalies. • On medication that might affect visual function or development. • Have prior or ongoing myopia control treatment.
Outcome results
None listed