How has PBM been studied in the retina and macula?
15 papers: ten original human studies, three reviews including systematic or scoping syntheses and two recent animal studies.
Europe PMC MED and PMC titles and abstracts were screened with no lower year limit for human studies and a 2024 cutoff for animal and cell studies. Retinal and macular PBM protocols are distinguished from ocular observations. The blue LED mask exposure case is separate from red light trials. This abstract screened inventory does not guarantee complete literature coverage. Groups are ordered by first publication date, newest first.
Checked 2026-10-29 · 46 records searched
Randomized human trials2
A randomized trial assigned 135 adults with center involved diabetic macular edema to a 670 nm PBM eye patch or a low power white light device for 90 seconds twice daily over four months, measuring OCT retinal thickness and visual acuity.
Ophthalmol Retina · 2022 · PMID 34628066
A pilot randomized trial assigned 86 preterm neonates to 670 nm red light exposure (41) or no red light (45), continued daily until 34 weeks corrected age, recording retinopathy stage, respiratory support and survival.
Pediatr Res · 2020 · PMID 31430763
Other comparative human studies1
A nonrandomized series applied PBM for 160 seconds daily to four eyes in four patients with type 2 diabetes and noncentral macular edema. Fellow eyes served as unexposed controls; visual acuity and OCT retinal and macular thickness were assessed.
Br J Ophthalmol · 2014 · PMID 24682183
Human studies and cases without a control group7
A retrospective study of 47 eyes in 30 patients with dry age related macular degeneration compared visual acuity, OCT retinal thickness, macular volume and photoreceptor layers before and after PBM.
J Clin Med · 2026 · PMID 42278869
A case report of one 39 year old woman with central serous chorioretinopathy described multiwavelength PBM in nine session series, with OCT and best corrected visual acuity followed for approximately one year.
Ophthalmol Ther · 2024 · PMID 38758517
A retrospective analysis of 30 eyes in 19 people with early diabetic macular edema assessed visual acuity, retinal thickness and OCT after nine sessions of multiwavelength PBM.
Clin Ophthalmol · 2023 · PMID 38026594
A case report followed visual acuity and OCT for 16 months in one 60 year old man with diabetic macular edema after 670 nm light exposure.
Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg · 2022 · PMID 36395083
A prospective study of 20 eyes in 12 patients with diabetic macular edema used nighttime PBM for at least eight hours on at least five days weekly, with visual acuity, retinal thickness and fundus assessments over 12 months.
Adv Ophthalmol Pract Res · 2022 · PMID 37846386
An open label dose escalation trial applied 670 nm laser PBM in 12 sessions over five weeks to 21 patients with center involving diabetic macular edema, assessing macular thickness at two and six months. Animal and cell experiments in the same paper are not counted separately.
Diabetologia · 2020 · PMID 32661752
A case report examined retinopathy in one 37 year old woman with prior blue LED face mask exposure using fundus photography, OCT and fluorescein angiography, with follow up after an intravitreal injection.
Medicine (Baltimore) · 2020 · PMID 32541484
Reviews, systematic and scoping reviews3
A scoping review selected 45 studies of eye and vision conditions in children aged 0 to 18 from Medline, Embase and Cochrane, describing light protocols and designs including retinopathy of prematurity.
Eye (Lond) · 2026 · PMID 42527621
A review searched PubMed and trial registrations, selecting 14 macular degeneration studies and nine diabetic macular edema studies from 60 candidate publications to describe populations and PBM protocols.
Clin Ophthalmol · 2021 · PMID 34511875
A systematic review of 11 studies extracted light sources and exposure protocols for PBM self applied at home at least three times weekly, including studies of diabetic macular edema.
Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg · 2019 · PMID 31050938
Animal and cell studies from 20242
Male mice with streptozotocin induced diabetes received 670 nm LED exposure for four minutes daily over 20 weeks. Retinal vessels, gene expression and circulating stem cell markers were assessed. Animal count was not stated in the abstract.
Exp Eye Res · 2025 · PMID 39716680
Diabetic db/db mice received 654 nm LED exposure for 12 hours daily over ten weeks, with electroretinography and retinal histology compared against unexposed mice. Animal count was not stated in the abstract.
Int J Mol Sci · 2024 · PMID 39596197
Excluded 31 of 46 records: Narrative review or no reproducible selection criteria in abstract: 14; Protocol without completed study data: 2; Video information quality study, not a direct ocular study: 1; No abstract: 2; Photocoagulation and drug comparisons, direct PBM not established: 1; Animal or cell study before 2024: 9; Pancreatic and glycemic study without retinal assessment: 1; Same title, authors and abstract republished; retain PMID 31050938: 1.
View the search query
TITLE_ABS:(photobiomodulation OR PBMT OR "low level laser" OR "low level light" OR "red light therapy") AND TITLE_ABS:(retinopath* OR "macular edema" OR "macular oedema" OR "diabetic retina") AND (SRC:MED OR SRC:PMC) AND FIRST_PDATE:[* TO 2026-10-29]
Search Europe PMCFrequently asked questions
How many human and experimental papers are listed?
There are ten original human studies, three reviews including systematic or scoping syntheses and two animal studies from 2024 onward. Paper counts are not independent trial or participant counts.
Which eye assessments were recorded?
Assessments include visual acuity charts, OCT retinal thickness and structure, fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography. Animal studies include electroretinography and histology.
Are populations and light protocols the same?
Populations include diabetic macular edema, retinopathy of prematurity and macular degeneration. Red light, multiwavelength PBM and the blue LED exposure case are identified separately in each entry.