A recent analysis has found no signs of publication bias in the current literature on treatments for controlling myopia progression, suggesting that reported benefits of these interventions are likely reliable.
Researchers reviewed 27 systematic reviews and meta-analyses involving 49 randomized controlled trials evaluating spectacle-based, contact lens, and pharmacological approaches to myopia control. They assessed changes in both axial length and refractive error.
Although statistical tests showed some asymmetry in the data for certain treatment types, such as pharmacologic treatments in axial length outcomes and contact lenses in refractive error outcomes, further analysis indicated these findings did not reflect inflated treatment effects.
Specifically, interventions like atropine drops and multifocal contact lenses, which had sufficient supporting trials for in-depth evaluation, did not show evidence of publication bias.
Reference
Rizzo GC, Scotti L, Recchioni A, et al. Effect of publication bias on the evidence supporting the use of myopia control interventions. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2025;102463. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2025.102463. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40541449.
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