Condition focus: Myopia & Orbital Blood Flow

Progressive myopia in children involves not only refractive error development but also alterations in choroidal and retinal vascular perfusion that may contribute to axial elongation and degenerative changes. This study investigated whether infrared low-intensity laser therapy could improve orbital blood circulation in children with progressive myopia. Pediatric patients with documented myopia progression received infrared laser treatment with comprehensive vascular assessment using color Doppler ultrasonography to measure blood flow velocities in orbital vessels before and after treatment.

Results demonstrated significant improvements in orbital blood flow parameters following infrared laser therapy, with increased blood flow velocities in ophthalmic and central retinal arteries. Children receiving laser treatment showed enhanced choroidal perfusion and reduced vascular resistance indices compared to untreated controls. The vascular improvements correlated with slowed myopia progression rates over the observation period. These findings suggest that infrared photobiomodulation may address vascular components of progressive myopia by enhancing ocular blood supply, potentially providing complementary therapeutic mechanisms to direct effects on refractive development observed in recent red light myopia control studies.

WaveFront Alignment:
Shurygina’s demonstration that infrared laser therapy improves orbital blood flow in progressive myopia provides vascular context for photobiomodulation’s myopia control mechanisms, complementing the Spectral WaveFront’s approach by addressing both metabolic and vascular aspects of eye growth regulation.

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Editor’s note: Shurygina 2009 demonstrates infrared laser effects on orbital blood flow in pediatric myopia. For related vascular applications, see Mii 2007. For broader myopia control evidence, see Zhu 2022. Peripheral photobiomodulation applications appear in Majlesi 2008.

Related Articles

• Increases in Central Retinal Artery Blood Flow – Mii 2007
• Red Light Irradiation as Intervention for Myopia – Zhu 2022
• GaAs Laser Treatment of Bilateral Eyelid Ptosis – Majlesi 2008
• Mechanistic Insights into Diabetic Retina Changes – Roy 2016

Key Takeaways

• Infrared laser therapy significantly improved orbital blood flow velocities in children with progressive myopia
• Enhanced choroidal perfusion and reduced vascular resistance indices versus untreated controls
• Vascular improvements correlated with slowed myopia progression rates over observation period
• Findings suggest vascular mechanisms may complement direct refractive effects in myopia control

Study Overview

Full Citation

Shurygina IP, Khadzhieva MB, et al. (2009). Effect of infrared low-intensity laser therapy on orbital blood circulation in children with progressive short-sightedness. Vestn Oftalmol, 125(2):22-25. View Publication