Suppressive effects of violet light transmission on myopia progression in a mouse model of lens-induced myopia.

The prevalence of myopia has been steadily increasing for several decades, and this condition can cause extensive medical and economic issues in society. Exposure to violet light (VL), a short wavelength (360-400 nm) of visible light from sunlight, has been suggested as an effective preventive and suppressive treatments for the development and progression of myopia. However, the clinical application of VL remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the preventive and suppressive effects of VL on myopia progression. Various transmittances of VL (40%, 70%, and 100%) were tested in C57BL/6J mice with lens-induced myopia (LIM). Changes in the refractive error, axial length, and choroid thickness during the 3-week LIM were measured. The myopic shift in refractive error and difference in axial length between the 0 and -30 diopter lens was lessened in a transmission-dependent manner. Choroidal thinning, which was observed in myopic conditions, was suppressed by VL exposure and affected by its transmission. The results suggest that myopia progression can be managed using VL transmittance. Therefore, these factors should be considered for the prevention and treatment of myopia.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest H.T., T.K., and K.T. are in the process of applying for two international two patents for myopia-preventing devices based on VL illumination and transparency, (WO, 2015/186723 and WO, 2017/094886). The former has been registered in Japan, the United States, and China, while the latter has been registered in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, and Singapore. There is a patent application for the design of the mouse eyeglass by Tsubota Laboratory, Inc. (patent application no. 2017–41349). K.T. reports his position as the CEO of Tsubota Laboratory, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, a company that produces myopia-related devices.
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