Medicated Eye Drops Slow Children’s Myopia Progression

Friday, November 20 2015 | 00 h 00 min | Vision Science

Results from a five year clinical trial in Singapore, presented at the AAO annual meeting, show that low-dose atropine slowed the progression of myopia in school-age children.

The study began in 2006 and involved 400 children aged 6 to 12. The children were divided into 3 groups and randomly assigned either a 0.5, 0.1 or 0.01 percent dose of atropine, taken nightly, for two years.

The group receiving the 0.01% dose performed the best, showing 50% slower myopia progression compared to children not receiving atropine. At 0.01% the dose appeared safe, with minimal levels of pupil dilation and light sensitivity.

“For a long time we’ve known that atropine drops can help keep myopia from getting worse to some degree,” said Dr. Donald T. Tan, FRCS, FRCOphth, lead investigator and professor of ophthalmology at the Singapore Eye Research Institute and the National Singapore Eye Centre. “We now have data showing that it is not only effective, but also safe. Combined with other interventions, this treatment could become a great ally in preventing myopia from causing serious visual impairment in children worldwide.”

Further information: http://www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/nearsightedness-progression-in-children-slowed-dow