Atropine and bifocals can slow the progression of myopia in children.

BACKGROUND

Atropine 1% ophthalmic solution has been used to retard progression of simple childhood myopia. Problems have been identified in previous studies, including possible observer bias. To address this issue, we evaluated our experience including the duration that atropine maintains a child at 20/30 or better in one spectacle correction compared with controls.

METHODS

Fifteen myopic children who received daily atropine 1% ophthalmic solution bilaterally for a mean of 29.3 months (range 3-96) were compared to a control group of 15 unrelated similar myopic patients. The progression of myopia, change of glasses, patient demographics, and any side effects or complaints were recorded.

RESULTS

The mean annual myopic progression in the atropine group was 0.05 diopters (D) (+/-0.67) and in the control group 0.84 D (+/-0.26)(P=0.00021). The number of months that vision remained 20/30 or better using the same pair of glasses was 25.1 (+/-19.3) for the atropine group and 13.5 (+/-10.3) for the control group (P=0.049). Mean followup time was 29 months for the atropine group and 42.6 months for the control group. There were no statistical differences between the two groups regarding sex, age, or age at first glasses.

CONCLUSIONS

Atropine ophthalmic solution nearly halted myopic progression in this investigation. Patients on atropine remained 20/30 or better with a single pair of glasses significantly longer than the control group. While a larger and better controlled study is desirable, atropine appears to be a viable method to retard myopic progression.