Prescription of atropine eye drops among children diagnosed with myopia in Taiwan from 2000 to 2007: a nationwide study

Abstract

Purpose This study was conducted to examine the atropine eye drop prescription trend for children diagnosed with myopia, and to determine the factors associated with the prescription of atropine eye drops. Design This was a population-based cross-sectional study. Methods This study was conducted using a national representative sample from the National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data. All school children between 4 and 18 years of age who had visited an ophthalmologist and were diagnosed with myopia between 2000 and 2007 were included herein. The main outcome measure was the proportion of subjects who were prescribed atropine eye drops in each year. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with atropine eye drops being prescribed. Results The prescription of atropine eye drops for children diagnosed with myopia increased significantly from the school years 2000 (36.9%) to 2007 (49.5%). There was also a shift from prescribing high concentrations (0.5 and 1%) of atropine eye drops to lower concentration ones (0.3, 0.25, and 0.1%) within this period. Atropine eye drops were more frequently prescribed to 9-12-year-old children (OR ¼ 1.26-1.42, compared with those 7-8 years old), and to children from families with a high socioeconomic status (OR ¼ 1.19-1.25); however, they were less prescribed to those living in mid to low urbanized areas . Conclusions This study revealed an increasing trend of atropine eye drop prescription for children with myopia in Taiwan. Our study provides eye-care professionals worldwide a reference for the potential integration of atropine eye drops into their clinical practice toward children with myopia.

Atropine 0.01% Eyedrops Significantly Reduce the Progression of Childhood Myopia

“…12,[28][29][30][31] Since low-concentration atropine is much better tolerated than atropine 1%, it is becoming the standard treatment in Asia, with almost 50% of myopic Taiwanese children receiving atropine eyedrops of varying concentrations. 32 Since most studies have been performed on Asian populations with high rates of myopia and myopic progression, it is unknown whether these results can be replicated in other regions with more diverse populations. We studied the clinical effects of atropine 0.01%, the lowest concentration shown to have an effect on myopic progression, 12 on an ethnically diverse group of children with low to moderate initial myopia.…”

Optical and pharmacological strategies of myopia control

“…The retina, choroid and sclera all contain muscarinic receptors and have been identified as possible sites of action . Despite this, atropine is increasingly used in clinical practice for myopia control owing to numerous studies that have repeatedly demonstrated significant myopia control effects with its application …”

Study design, rationale and methods for a population‐based study of myopia in schoolchildren: the Myopia Investigation study in Taipei

“…Numerous studies have disclosed that atropine is effective in slowing the progression of childhood myopia . Despite potentially annoying side effects, including photophobia and blurred near vision, there is an increasing trend of atropine eye drop prescription for myopic children in Taiwan . Increasing time spent outdoors and reducing peripheral hyperopia with optical devices also have been proven to protect against the development of myopia .…”

“…[12][13][14][15][16] Despite potentially annoying side effects, including photophobia and blurred near vision, there is an increasing trend of atropine eye drop prescription for myopic children in Taiwan. 17 Increasing time spent outdoors and reducing peripheral hyperopia with optical devices also have been proven to protect against the development of myopia. 18,19 Although the optimal mode of myopia prevention has not yet been made clear, it is desirable to have myopic children and their parents adhere to these interventions until stabilization of refractive status by the late teen years.…”