Virtual Reality-Based Digital Defocus Vision Training May Aid Myopia in Children

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Virtual reality-based digital defocus vision training (DDVT) may be a promising adjunctive approach for pediatric myopia control, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Jing Zhong, M.D., Ph.D., from Beijing Tongren Eye Center, and colleagues evaluated whether virtual reality-based DDVT safely and effectively slows myopia progression in children. The analysis included 120 children aged 6 to 12 years randomly assigned to either DDVT (15 minutes per day) plus single-vision spectacles (SVS) or SVS alone.

The researchers found that at six months, axial length increased by 0.15 mm and 0.25 mm in the DDVT and SVS groups, respectively (difference = 0.11 mm). Spherical equivalent refraction changed by −0.23 D and −0.46 D (difference = −0.23 D). At six months, visual acuity change was −0.02 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR; Snellen equivalent, 20/18) in the DDVT group and 0.01 logMAR (20/20) in the SVS group (difference = 0.03 logMAR [Snellen equivalent, 20/21]). No training-related adverse events were reported.

“The clinical relevance of these differences over the short and long term cannot be determined from this trial but support additional studies to assess this intervention as a promising adjunctive approach for pediatric myopia control,” the authors write.

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