Researchers at the US National Eye Institute (NEI) found that low-dose atropine eye drops were no more effective than placebo in slowing the progression of myopia in children. The results of the research were published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
In the study, 187 children aged 5 to 12 years with low to moderate bilateral myopia were randomly assigned to use atropine 0.01% eye drops (125 children) or placebo drops (62 children) at night for two years.
During the treatment period and six months after discontinuing the use of the drops, the researchers found no significant differences between the groups in terms of the degree of myopia or the change in the axial length of the eye that increased with progression of myopia.
Higher concentrations of atropine eye drops (0.5-1.0%) have long been used by pediatric ophthalmologists to slow the progression of myopia. Although effective, such doses cause photosensitivity or blurred vision when used at bedtime.
Lower concentrations cause fewer side reactions. They demonstrated their effectiveness in a study conducted in East Asia. The contradiction may be due to ethnic differences.
Perhaps a different concentration of atropine is needed for children in the United States, the scientists said. Mixed results suggest that more research is needed.
In half of children, the progression of myopia stops at age 16, but sometimes myopia continues to improve with age. By the age of 20, approximately 10% of people with myopia continue to have visual impairment, and by the age of 24 this rate is 4%.
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