Atropine use in myopia control

Abstract

Atropine is currently the most effective therapy for myopia control. Recent clinical trials demonstrated low-dose atropine eye drops such as 0.01% resulted in retardation of myopia progression, with less side effects compared to higher concentration preparation. For children aged 6-10 years with myopia of at least 1D and myopia progression of at least 0.50D per year, the WHO recommends atropine as a potential first line treatment for myopia. Proposed strategies include a combination of low-dose atropine with increase outdoor time. We made pilot study and 1-year results suggest that atropine 0.01% eyedrops can slow myopia progression and axial elongation of the eye.