Ear seeds: a Needle-Free hope against childhood nearsightedness?
NCT ID NCT07746804
First seen Aug 05, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether auricular acupressure—small adhesive patches with seeds placed on specific ear points—can prevent myopia in children who are at higher risk. Primary school students in grades 1-4 with insufficient hyperopic reserve (a sign they may become nearsighted) will be randomly assigned to receive weekly ear acupressure or continue their usual activities. Over 12 months, researchers will measure changes in eye length and refractive error, and track how many children develop myopia, to see if this simple intervention makes a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Auricular acupressure using adhesive patches with vaccaria seeds applied to specific ear points
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this simple, non-invasive ear acupressure could offer a drug-free way to slow myopia progression in children, potentially reducing the global burden of nearsightedness.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial, and the effect may be modest or no better than usual activities. Adherence to pressing the patches is key, and results may not generalize beyond this specific age group.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 130 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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6 to 11 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Students in grades 1 to 4 from participating primary schools. * Non-myopic children with insufficient hyperopic reserve, defined as cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction in the worse eye greater than +0.75 D and below the following age-specific upper limits: +1.72 D at age 6 years; +1.48 D at age 7 years; +1.19 D at age 8 years; +1.11 D at age 9 years; +0.92 D at age 10 years; and +0.83 D at age 11 years. * Written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian, with willingness to participate in baseline and follow-up assessments during the study period. Exclusion Criteria: * Strabismus, amblyopia, or other ocular abnormalities. * Systemic disease or other medical conditions that may affect study participation. * Has received any myopia prevention intervention in the past 3 months. * Known skin sensitivity, local ear skin lesions, or other conditions judged unsuitable for auricular acupressure. * Any other condition judged by the study doctors to make participation inappropriate.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center
RECRUITINGShanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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