Indigo Eyewear for Treating Myopia Progression

About This Grant

Project Summary/Abstract Myopia is the most common eye condition worldwide, where distant objects appear blurry. Typically, myopia develops during childhood/adolescence but increases the risk of developing vision-threatening conditions, including macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and glaucoma later in life. Furthermore, uncorrected distance refractive error has been estimated to result in a global loss of productivity of $202 billion annually. The rapid increase in myopia prevalence also known as the “Myopia Boom” is alarming, but existing treatments are only partially effective or induce significant adverse effects. We have discovered that indigo light can completely suppress a strong myopiagenic stimulus in a near-primate model. Based on extensive preclinical research, we have identified the most effective indigo wavelengths for the suppression of myopia. Importantly, our discovery is consistent with the environmental origin of the Myopia Boom, where sunlight, with its abundant indigo photons, is protective and time spent indoors, where indigo photons are mostly absent, is a risk factor. Based on this discovery, we propose a new modality for the treatment of myopia progression in children and adolescents: indigo light emitting eyewear. This is an exciting treatment strategy because it may enable a highly effective, safe, noninvasive, simple to use, and cost-effective treatment for childhood myopia. In this Phase I project, we propose (i) to advance technical merit by developing a new prototype for low volume production and formal safety evaluation; and (ii) to evaluate feasibility by performing a pilot clinical study in young adults assessing tolerability, usability and safety. If successful, we will have established technical merit and feasibility for a fully powered clinical trial to assess efficacy in myopic children.