The association between Chinese eye exercises and myopia in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jie Tang; Yifei Pei; Jingjing Wang; Na Yan; Yunjiao Luo; Wen Zhou; Xiaojuan Wang; Wei Wang

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.950700

The association between Chinese eye exercises and myopia in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Front Public Health. 2023 Mar 10:11:950700. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.950700. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jie Tang¹, Yifei Pei¹, Jingjing Wang¹, Na Yan¹, Yunjiao Luo¹, Wen Zhou², Xiaojuan Wang², Wei Wang^{1

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
² Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Human Genetics and Environmental Medicine, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
⁴ Engineering Research Innovation Center of Biological Data Mining and Healthcare Transformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to summarize the relevant evidence on the association between eye exercises and myopia in children and adolescents in China.

Methods: The meta-analysis pooled the results of 12 studies, with a total of 134,201 participants. Another five studies (no OR for myopia as an outcome and meeting inclusion criteria) were reported in the systematic review. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan Fang, and reference lists of retrieved studies. Association estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for eye exercises and myopia were pooled from a meta-analysis.

Results: After standardizing the reference values, a pooled OR of the univariate analysis showed a 24% reduction in myopia in children and adolescents who performed eye exercises (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62-0.89). After adjusting the covariate, a pooled OR of multiple logistic analysis for myopia (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.72-1.02) showed that there is no significance between eye exercises and myopia. However, in subgroup studies of the multivariate analysis, the large sample (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74-0.94) and Chinese database (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67-0.93) subgroup showed modest protective effects. In addition, five studies in the systematic review also evaluated the risk of myopia events, and Chinese eye exercises had a modest protective effect on myopic control, but the incorrect performance of and attitude toward eye exercises posed negative effects on their eyesight health.

Conclusion: Chinese eye exercises have a modest protective effect on myopic control, but considering that the incorrect performance of and attitude toward eye exercises have a significant influence on the effect of eye exercises, the effect of eye exercises may not be enough to prevent the progress of myopia in the long term, and more standardized eye exercises need to be conducted.

Keywords: Chinese; adolescents; eye exercises; meta-analysis; myopia.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Asian People
Child
East Asian People*
Exercise
Exercise Therapy
Humans
Myopia*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Project Source Science and Technology Development of Clinical Medicine of Jiangsu University in 2021, JLY2021179, XW, Science and Technology Project of Xuzhou, KC21278, XW, Xuzhou Medical Leading Talent Training Project, XWRCHT20210022, XW, and Development Fund of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, XYFM2021038, XW.