Placebo-controlled, safety and efficacy study of topical atropine (0.01%) in myopic children

Abstract

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of (0.01%) topical atropine in controlling the progressive myopia in children. Materials and Methods: Clinical study entitled as Placebo-controlled, safety and efficacy study of (.01%) topical atropine in children with progressive myopia. In this prospective case control study 80 children with regular follow-up were divided into a subgroup of 40 children who received atropine eyedrops (0.01%) every night, and a subgroup of 40 children, who remained untreated, served as controls. The changes in refraction and axial length of 160 eyes in 80 children were collected and compared for patients treated with 0.01% atropine eyedrop and those with 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose eye drops (control) at 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. The initial spherical equivalent of refractive status range was between -1.5 and -14.25 DS. Result: Mean myopia progression for the group of patients treated with 0.01% atropine eye drop was -0.34 ± 0.43 DS/year, significantly lower than that of the control group of -1.08 ± 0.57 DS/year and axial length 0.12+0.23mm/year (cases)compared to controls 0.48+0.29mm/year with p value <0.05. Conclusion: 0.01% atropine is effective in controlling progression of myopia in children age group 5-16 years with no side effects.