Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents by Chinese Medical Therapies:A Network Meta-analysis
Objective:To systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of commonly used Chinese medical therapies for pre-venting and controlling myopia in children and adolescents using a network Meta-analysis and provide evidence-based guidance for subsequent clinical applications.Methods:Seven databases,i.e.,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Science Periodical Database(CSPD),Chinese Sci-tech Journal Database(CCD),China Biomedical Literature Database(CBM),PubMed,Cochrane Library,and Embase,were searched for literature on clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on Chinese medical therapies for preventing and controlling myopia in children and adolescents.Relevant literature was screened,followed by data ex-traction,and assessment of risks of bias.Data were analyzed and related graphics were plotted using Stata 15.0 and Review Manag-er 5.4 software.Results:A total of 28 articles were included,involving 3 017 patients and nine Chinese medical therapies.Among these therapies,acupuncture combined with fumigation,acupuncture,auricular acupoint therapy,auricular acupoint therapy com-bined with massage,and oral Chinese medicine were more effective than conventional Western medicine in terms of efficiency.In terms of improving vision and refractive status,auricular acupoint therapy was more effective than acupuncture,and both were supe-rior to conventional Western medicine.Nine studies mentioned safety indicators,with adverse reactions reported in only three stud-ies.The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group.Conclusion:There are various Chinese medical therapies for preventing and controlling myopia in children and adolescents,with high safety pro-files.Combining two or more therapies yields more significant results.It is recommended that clinical practice should integrate syn-drome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and the actual clinical situation for reasonable selection.
MyopiaChildren and adolescentsTraditional Chinese medicineNetwork Meta-analysisPrevention and controlAcupuncture therapyAuricular acupoint therapyRandomized controlled trial