Peripheral Refraction in Myopic Children with and without Atropine Usage

Abstract

Purpose. To compare the patterns of relative peripheral refractions of myopic children who were currently on atropine treatment for myopia control and myopic children who did not use atropine. Methods. Chinese children (n = 209) aged 7 to 12 years participated in the study, 106 used atropine and 103 did not. Participants were also classified into three groups: emmetropes (SE: +0.50 to −0.50 D), low myopes (SE: −0.50 to −3.00 D), and moderate myopes (SE: −3.00 to −6.00 D). The central and peripheral refractions along the horizontal meridians (for both nasal and temporal fields) were measured in 10-degree steps to 30 degrees. Results. There were no statistically significant differences in spherical equivalent and astigmatism of the three refractive groups in either the nasal or temporal retina. The atropine group showed a significant relative myopia in the temporal 30° field in spherical equivalent compared to the emmetropic group (t49 = 3.36, P=0.02). In eyes with low myopia, the atropine group had significant relative myopia in the nasal 30° and temporal 30° fields (t118 = 2.59, P=0.01; t118 = 2.06, P=0.04), and it is also observed at 20° and 30° of the nasal field for the moderate myopic group (t36 = 2.37, P=0.02; t2.84 = 2.84, P=0.01). Conclusion. Significant differences in relative peripheral refraction were found between the atropine group and its controls. The findings suggested that the eyes that received atropine may have a less prolate shape and thus explain why using atropine is effective in controlling myopia progression.

Peripheral refraction in Japanese schoolchildren with low to moderate myopia

“…The refraction profile found in this study confirmed a significant hyperopic shift at the peripheral retina in Japanese schoolchildren with mild to moderate myopia. The magnitude of the shift was comparable with that previously reported in myopic children in other counties [7][8][9][10][11][12]. When refractive errors are fully corrected with single-vision spectacles or contact lenses, hyperopic defocus greater than 1 D frequently occurs at the peripheral retina.…”

“…Table 2 compares RPR at the gaze position of −30 degrees between the current and previous studies conducted in other countries [8][9][10][11][12]. When excluding the results in the mild myopia category from the comparison, the previously Fig.…”

“…To compare the profile with those previously reported in other countries [8][9][10][11][12], we focused on the RPR obtained at the gaze position of −30 degrees (temporal retina) in the following analysis. Figure 3 shows the relationships between the relative M and on-axis refraction, between that and axial length, and between that and children's age.…”

“…Several studies [7][8][9][10][11][12] report the profile of peripheral refraction in myopic children based on autorefractor-based measurements: the degree of myopia gradually decreases from the central fovea to the peripheral retina in myopic eyes, and this trend becomes more significant in moderate than in mild myopia. In adults, it is reported that the profile differs among ethnic groups: the peripheral hyperopic shift is greater in East-Asian than Caucasian people [13,14].…”

Corneal Penetration of Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops

“…Fine control of eye-length growth is largely achieved by image processing in the retina [ 7 ], without the need for central/cortical visual processing. The exact mechanism is still a subject of ongoing speculation and investigation [ 8 , 9 ].…”