In this study, we conducted a real-world cohort study to evaluate the impact of a “365 Eye Care” program on myopia prevention and control in children and adolescents. Our findings demonstrated that participants in the intervention group, who received comprehensive guidance on lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, and screen time, achieved better myopia control outcomes compared to the control group. These results align with and extend the findings of previous studies, highlighting the importance of early and holistic interventions in myopia management18,19.
The reduction of time spent outdoors significantly increases the incidence of myopia in children and adolescents19,20. Prolonged close reading was also significantly associated with the development of myopia, which is consistent with our observation that participants in the “365 Eye Care” program, who were advised to balance screen time with outdoor activities, showed better myopia control outcomes.
Our study also supports the growing body of evidence emphasizing the role of early intervention in myopia management. Morgan et al. emphasize in their study that myopia progresses most rapidly during childhood and adolescence, so this period is critical for intervention21,22. By providing personalized lifestyle adjustments and recommendations for regular follow-up, our “365 Eye Care” program effectively delayed the progression of myopia, which is consistent with the findings of Huang et al., who demonstrated that structured eye care programs can significantly reduce the incidence of myopia in school-age children23,24,27.
The findings of this study revealed no significant difference between the high myopia group and the control group in terms of the effectiveness of people-oriented comprehensive eye care. The percentage of patients with ∆SE≦− 0.50 D was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group after 1 year. This suggests that the benefits of comprehensive myopia intervention are not limited to the severity of myopia at baseline but are instead influenced by the timing of intervention initiation. Specifically, the earlier children participate in comprehensive myopia prevention and control programs, the more effective these interventions are in slowing myopia progression and reducing the risk of developing high myopia. This underscores the importance of early intervention, as timely and consistent eye care can significantly alter the trajectory of myopia development in children.
The visual protection and health are equally important1,25,26. Because children’s visual system has not yet fully developed, the ability of the eye to adapt to external stimuli is limited, so it is easy to be affected by bright light, television, computers and other adverse visual environment26,27,28,29. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, reduced outdoor activities due to online courses and increased digital screen time contributed to the occurrence and development of myopia30. Therefore, in the critical period and sensitive period of visual development of children and adolescents, timely and appropriate treatment and training can prevent and treat myopia. We should pay more attention to integrated people-centered eye care, to achieve early detection, early intervention and early treatment.
This study has some limitations. Firstly, the observation period of this study was one year, and the IPEC can effectively delay myopia progression in children and adolescents. In further studies, as the IPEC is increasingly popular, long-term follow-up can be conducted to explore its long-term effect further. Secondly, in the future, prospective randomized controlled trials should be conducted to control the influence of confounding factors on the results of the study and include axial length measurement. Furthermore, our study only records the outdoor activity time, controlling and evaluating the intensity of outdoor ambient light will be valuable in further studies.
The integrated people-centered eye care model, “365 eyecare,” holds promise for myopia control. And the earlier the children participated in the comprehensive intervention, the better the myopia prevention and control effect.
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