This pilot study aims to establish that treatment with near infrared light (NIR) reduces cystic macular oedema in patients with a retinal vein occlusion.
Over the past decade, more than 30 published studies have explored the value of PBM for ocular conditions.
In the past 20 years, experimental evidence has shown the benefit of PBM in increasing numbers of retinal and ophthalmic conditions. More recently, preclinical findings in ocular models have been translated to the clinic with promising results.
This systematic review and meta-analysis compares the complications and effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy with sham treatment in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: One eye of each participant was randomly assigned 1:1 to a 670-nm light-emitting PBM eye patch or an identical device emitting broad-spectrum white light at low power. Treatment was applied for 90 seconds twice daily for 4 months.
670 nm light therapy improves rod function in normal aging but may be less effective in intermediate AMD
This clinical trial evaluated multiwavelength photobiomodulation—primarily 670 nm (4–7.7 J/cm²), supplemented with 590 nm and 790 nm (0.1 J/cm²)—in patients with atrophic AMD. Across a 3-week treatment period, participants demonstrated reduced drusen volume, improved best-corrected visual acuity, and improved contrast sensitivity, with excellent tolerability and no significant adverse effects.
These findings suggest that even a single, low-fluence 670 nm exposure can acutely support cone function in older eyes, consistent with rapid mitochondrial and bioenergetic modulation.
Absorption of photon energy by neuronal mitochondria leads to numerous downstream neuroprotective effects.
670 nm light upregulated cytochrome c oxidase and reduced retinal inflammation, providing mechanistic foundation for clinical AMD PBM outcomes.
