Digital health technologies for myopia care: a systematic review
In brief
Review finds 33 studies of digital myopia care, but evidence remains very uncertain
The 33 studies, involving 26,651 patients, examined digital tools for monitoring, diagnosis, treatment and behavior change, but the review found very low-certainty evidence across all areas. Small samples and widely differing studies limit conclusions about effectiveness, and the evidence comes mostly from East Asia, leaving its relevance elsewhere unclear.
- Journal
- Frontiers in public health (Q1)
- Published
- 16 October 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Haofei Xu, Liuqing He, Zhou Pan, Xuejing Lu
- PMID
- 42964207
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1939923
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Ophthalmology (top studies of the week, 1 November 2026): Reviews digital approaches to myopia detection and management
Abstract
PURPOSE: Review the application and efficacy of digital health technologies (DHTs) in myopia care. METHODS: This systematic review is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024626798). Using appropriate medical subject headings and keywords, the authors searched multiple databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data and VIP Database) to identify relevant studies published between 1 January 2000 and 1 December 2025. After duplicate removal, the titles and abstracts were screened, followed by full-text eligibility assessment and quality evaluation. Risk of bias was assessed by the Study Quality Assessment Tools. The quality of evidence was graded using the GRADEpro system. RESULTS: Thirty-three articles with 26,651 patients were finally included in this review. This review included 5 cohort studies, 1 cross-over study, 15 cross-sectional studies, 2 non-RCTs, 5 RCTs, and 5 self-controlled studies. These 33 studies managed myopia by visual and refractive monitoring (n = 10), environmental and behavioral assessment (n = 7), visual and refractive improvement (n = 7), disease diagnosis (n = 6) and behavioral interventions (n = 3). CONCLUSION: Preliminary evidence suggests that DHTs may have potential values in myopic detection, treatment and management. However, the current evidence base is limited by small sample sizes, high heterogeneity, and very low certainty across all domains. Well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm their effectiveness. Given the predominance of evidence from East Asia, applicability to other regions remains uncertain.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.