Atropine Eye Drops For Myopia

Why should we be concerned about progressive childhood myopia?

The main aim of controlling myopia progression is to prevent subsequent complications of high myopia later on in life such as retinal tears and detachment, myopic macular degeneration, early onset cataracts and glaucoma.

Besides, if the degree of myopia is kept low, some degree of spectacle independence can be achieved. Eg: sports can be enjoyed without having to wear spectacles or contact lenses.

What are Atropine eye drops?

Atropine eye drops have been used by ophthalmologists for years to control myopia progression. The 1% concentration eye drop has been in use for many years.

Ultra low dose Atropine eye drops (0.01%) for control of myopia progression is now available at our clinic. Atropine 0.01% retains comparable efficacy to Atropine 1% while having negligible side effects unlike Atropine 1%. Your child will be evaluated for his/her suitability for these eye drops.

Why choose Atropine eye drops and not other forms of intervention?

There have been many attempts in the past to slow myopia progression. However, most have not been shown convincingly to have a clinically significant effect on myopia progression.

• Over / under-correcting glasses prescription – no large effect on myopia progression
• Bifocal / progressive glasses – clinically insignificant slowing of myopia progression
• Defocus glasses – clinically insignificant slowing of myopia progression, more research needed
• Orthokeratology lenses for overnight wear – high risk of corneal infection, benefits uncertain

What are the differences between Atropine 1% and Atropine 0.01%?

Atropine 1% eye drop has been in use for many years, however the problem is that it causes pupil dilation (leading to photophobia or light sensitivity), as well as near vision blurring. These effects last as long as treatment is continued. A child on Atropine 1% requires bifocal or progressive photochromatic glasses.

Benefits:

Atropine 1% once daily has been shown to slow myopia progression by 80%, with an average progression of 25 degrees in the Atropine 1% study group compared with 125 degrees in the group not receiving atropine over 2 years.

Atropine 0.01%

Atropine 0.01% once daily has been shown to slow myopia progression by 60%, with an average progression of 50 degrees over 2 years in the Atropine 0.01% study group.

Additional benefits over Atropine 1%:

Atropine 0.01% has negligible effects on near focusing and near vision, and on pupil size resulting in minimal light sensitivity.