Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 2, 2025
Author Spotlight: Exploring Press Needle Efficacy and Underlying Molecular Pathways
Published on: April 12, 2024
Auricular acupressure for myopia prevention and control in children and its effect on choroid and retina: a
Rong Han1, Xie-He Kong2, Feng Zhao3
1Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Insights
This study investigates auricular acupressure for preventing and controlling myopia in children. Researchers will assess its effectiveness on myopia incidence and changes in vision and eye thickness over 12 months.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Background:
- Myopia incidence is rising globally, making prevention and control critical.
- Auricular acupressure is a common but unproven treatment for childhood myopia in China.
- This study addresses the need for evidence on auricular acupressure's efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of auricular acupressure in preventing and controlling myopia in children.
- To examine the impact of auricular acupressure on choroidal and retinal thickness.
- To explore potential mechanisms of action for auricular acupressure in myopia management.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 480 children aged 8-9 years.
- Intervention group receives auricular acupressure for 12 months; control group receives no intervention.
- Outcomes including myopia incidence, refractive error, axial length, visual acuity, and retinal/choroidal thickness measured at multiple time points.
Main Results:
- Primary outcome: myopia incidence (spherical equivalent ≤ -0.50 D) and mean change in spherical equivalent.
- Secondary outcomes: axial length, uncorrected visual acuity, choroidal thickness, and retinal thickness.
- Data collected at baseline and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-recruitment.
Conclusions:
- The trial will provide objective evidence on auricular acupressure's effectiveness for myopia prevention and control.
- Findings may inform clinical practice and guide the adoption of this method to slow myopia onset and progression.
- Further exploration of the underlying mechanisms is intended.
Background:
Nowadays, because of the increasing incidence, the prevention and control of myopia has become an urgent issue. In China, auricular acupressure has been commonly used in the clinical treatment of myopia in children, but the exact effectiveness remains unproven. The purpose of this trial is to observe the efficacy of auricular acupressure in myopia prevention and control, as well as its effect on the choroidal and retinal thickness.
Method/Design:
A total of 480 subjects at 8-9 years old will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention group versus a control group. The intervention group will receive auricular acupressure for 12 months, while the control group will be taken as a blank control. The primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at baseline, and again at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after recruitment. The myopia incidence (spherical equivalent ≤ - 0.50 D) and the mean change of spherical equivalent will be taken as the primary variables; the secondary outcome measures include axial length, uncorrected visual acuity, and choroidal and retinal thickness.
Discussion:
This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of auricular acupressure for myopia prevention and control with objective evidence and to preliminarily explore the plausible mechanism and provide reference for adopting this approach to retard the onset and control the progression of myopia.
Trial Registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000038456 . Registered on September 23, 2020.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...
01:28Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment