Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study
Abstract Background Daily “eye exercises,” massaging of periocular acupuncture pressure points, have been part of China’s national vision care policy in schools for some 50 years. However, the effect of eye exercises on myopia progression and eyeglasses wear has not been definitively investigated. T...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-020-2878-9 |
| _version_ | 1819101372573810688 |
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| author | Huan Wang Yiwei Qian Nathan Congdon Matthew Boswell Scott Rozelle Xiaochen Ma |
| author_facet | Huan Wang Yiwei Qian Nathan Congdon Matthew Boswell Scott Rozelle Xiaochen Ma |
| author_sort | Huan Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Daily “eye exercises,” massaging of periocular acupuncture pressure points, have been part of China’s national vision care policy in schools for some 50 years. However, the effect of eye exercises on myopia progression and eyeglasses wear has not been definitively investigated. This study evaluates the effectiveness of eye exercises on visual acuity and the propensity of rural children to wear eyeglasses. Methods Cohort study in 252 randomly-selected rural schools with baseline in September 2012 and follow up surveys 9 and 21 months later. Outcomes were assessed using propensity-score matching (PSM), multivariate linear regression and logistic regression to adjust for differences between children performing and not performing eye exercises. Results Among 19,934 children randomly selected for screening, 2374 myopic (spherical equivalent refractive error ≤ − 0.5 diopters in either eye) children (11.9%, mean age 10.5 [Standard Error 1.08] years, 48.5% boys) had VA in either eye ≤6/12 without eyeglasses correctable to > 6/12 with eyeglasses. Among these who completed the 21-month follow up, 1217 (58.2%) children reported practicing eye exercises on school days and 874 (41.8%) did not. After propensity-score matching, 1652 (79%) children were matched: 826 (50%) in the Eye Exercises group and 826 (50%) in the No Exercise group. Performing eye exercises was not associated with change in LogMAR uncorrected visual acuity and wear of eyeglasses, using either logistic regression or PSM at 9 or 21 months. Conclusions We found no evidence for an effect of eye exercises on change in vision or eyeglasses wear. Trial registration The original trial (Registration site: http://isrctn.org . Registration number: ISRCTN03252665 ) was retrospectively registered 25/09/2012. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:17:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33efe1401556472687c31e7e800ef086 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-7671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:17:37Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies |
| spelling | doaj.art-33efe1401556472687c31e7e800ef0862022-12-21T18:43:48ZengBMCBMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies2662-76712020-03-012011910.1186/s12906-020-2878-9Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort studyHuan Wang0Yiwei Qian1Nathan Congdon2Matthew Boswell3Scott Rozelle4Xiaochen Ma5Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Economics, University of Southern CaliforniaCentre for Public Health, Queen’s University BelfastFreeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, Stanford UniversityFreeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, Stanford UniversityChina Center for Health Development Studies, Peking UniversityAbstract Background Daily “eye exercises,” massaging of periocular acupuncture pressure points, have been part of China’s national vision care policy in schools for some 50 years. However, the effect of eye exercises on myopia progression and eyeglasses wear has not been definitively investigated. This study evaluates the effectiveness of eye exercises on visual acuity and the propensity of rural children to wear eyeglasses. Methods Cohort study in 252 randomly-selected rural schools with baseline in September 2012 and follow up surveys 9 and 21 months later. Outcomes were assessed using propensity-score matching (PSM), multivariate linear regression and logistic regression to adjust for differences between children performing and not performing eye exercises. Results Among 19,934 children randomly selected for screening, 2374 myopic (spherical equivalent refractive error ≤ − 0.5 diopters in either eye) children (11.9%, mean age 10.5 [Standard Error 1.08] years, 48.5% boys) had VA in either eye ≤6/12 without eyeglasses correctable to > 6/12 with eyeglasses. Among these who completed the 21-month follow up, 1217 (58.2%) children reported practicing eye exercises on school days and 874 (41.8%) did not. After propensity-score matching, 1652 (79%) children were matched: 826 (50%) in the Eye Exercises group and 826 (50%) in the No Exercise group. Performing eye exercises was not associated with change in LogMAR uncorrected visual acuity and wear of eyeglasses, using either logistic regression or PSM at 9 or 21 months. Conclusions We found no evidence for an effect of eye exercises on change in vision or eyeglasses wear. Trial registration The original trial (Registration site: http://isrctn.org . Registration number: ISRCTN03252665 ) was retrospectively registered 25/09/2012.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-020-2878-9Eye exercisesVisual acuityEyeglasses wearChinese children |
| spellingShingle | Huan Wang Yiwei Qian Nathan Congdon Matthew Boswell Scott Rozelle Xiaochen Ma Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Eye exercises Visual acuity Eyeglasses wear Chinese children |
| title | Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study |
| title_full | Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study |
| title_short | Effect of Chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school-aged children in rural China: a propensity-score-matched cohort study |
| title_sort | effect of chinese eye exercises on change in visual acuity and eyeglasses wear among school aged children in rural china a propensity score matched cohort study |
| topic | Eye exercises Visual acuity Eyeglasses wear Chinese children |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-020-2878-9 |
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