Supplementation with high spatial frequency in visual environments for Chinese children to arrest myopia: A...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric eye health
• Environmental influences on vision

Background:

• Myopia development is a growing concern in children.
• Traditional classroom environments may contribute to myopia progression.
• The potential of visual environment modification in schools is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if an outdoor scene classroom (OSC) can prevent myopia development in children.
• To assess the impact of OSC on myopia incidence, refractive error, and axial length changes over one year.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm, cluster randomized trial involving primary school students in China.
• Intervention group: classrooms decorated with high spatial frequency outdoor scenes (OSC).
• Control group: traditional classrooms (TC). Primary outcome: 1-year myopia incidence. Secondary outcomes: 1-year changes in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL).

Main Results:

• No significant difference in myopia incidence between OSC and TC groups (14.1% vs 16.9%, p=0.42).
• OSC group showed significantly less myopic shift in SER (-0.47 D vs -0.67 D, p<0.001) and AL (0.25 mm vs 0.31 mm, p=0.02) compared to TC.
• Multivariable analysis indicated a protective effect of OSC, reducing myopic shift by 0.21 D.

Conclusions:

• Outdoor scene classrooms (OSC) demonstrate a protective effect in slowing myopic shift.
• OSC offers a viable alternative strategy for myopia prevention, complementing increased outdoor time.
• Implementation of OSC in schools presents a less disruptive approach to myopia management within educational settings.