Myopia - EyeWiki
Myopia - EyeWiki
Myopia
All authors and Francesc March de Ribot, MD, PhD, MS, MMed, FEBO, FICO, FICS, DISSO, MBA, Gregory I. Ostrow, MD FAAO FAAP, K.
contributors: David Epley, M.D., Rafael Iribarren, Sudha Nallasamy, MD
Myopia
Myopia is a significant, prevalent disease in children with increasing rates of progression. With over
80 million reported myopic children world wide there are considerable socioeconomical and public
health concerns. More over, High myopia is associated with potentially blinding complications such as DiseasesDB (http://e 8729 (http://www.diseas
glaucoma, retinal detachment, and myopic macular degeneration. A substantial amount of research
has been done to determine the etiology of myopia, the risk factors associated with myopia, n.wikipedia.org/wiki/ esdatabase.com/ddb872
techniques to prevent myopia and ways to treat myopia. Diseases_Database) 9.htm)
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Disease Entity
Figure 1: Human myopic eye, showing the cornea and lens bending (refracting) incoming light rays so they focus in front of the retina
[1].
Myopia (nearsightedness) is an ocular disorder in which the optical power of the eye is too strong for the corresponding axial length. Light rays from an object
at infinity entering a non-accommodating myopic eye are converged too strongly and focus in front of the retina.[2]The far point of a myope is located in front of
the eye, between the cornea and optical infinity. Visual acuity of an uncorrected myope will continue to decrease as objects are located further away from the
far point and closer to optical infinity. Conversely, visual acuity is greater for objects located between the far point of the eye and the near point of
accommodation[3].
Classification
Myopia is generally classified into two groups: non-pathologic and pathologic myopia. Both groups have separate disease processes, clinical features, and
prognoses. Non-pathological myopia is also commonly referred to as physiological, simple or school myopia. In non-pathologic myopia the refractive structures
of the eye develop within normal limits, however the refractive power of the eye does not correlate with the axial length. The degree of non-pathologic myopia
is usually minimal to moderate (< 6.00 diopters) and onset usually begins during childhood or adolescence[4]. Myopic progression generally continues
throughout the adolescent growth period and slows or becomes stable early in the second decade. Less commonly, a second myopic shift may occur late during
the second decade or early in the third decade[5].
Pathologic myopia is generally classified as a high myopic refractive error that is progressive and generally presents very early in childhood. Pathologic myopia
is usually defined as spherical equivalent > 6.00 diopters or axial length >26.5mm[4]. Patients with high axial myopia are at a greater risk of developing
progressive retinal degeneration and other vision threatening pathology. See pathology section for more detail.
Etiology
Myopia is a complex disease with a multi-factorial etiology. It is well documented that pathological non-syndromic high myopia and associated syndromic high
myopia show evidence of familial inheritance. Although non-syndromic high myopia is most commonly inherited in an automosomal dominant pattern, multiple
chromosomal loci have been identified which suggests genetic heterogeneity[6]. High myopia is also a symptom of several multi-system complex diseases. The
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genetic mutations for these syndromes have been identified and the subsequent structural defects of the eye are most commonly related to connective tissue
and retina[6]. This type of myopia is only a small proportion of the overall myopic population and to date, there is no known isolated gene associated with
physiologic myopia.
Epidemiology
The prevalence of myopia varies greatly between different populations and ethnic groups. The prevalence rates of myopia in the United States have been
reported as 20-50% and as high as 80-90% in some parts of Asia[6]. The majority of the myopic population consists primarily of patients with non-pathologic
myopia; approximately 66% of patients with myopia have less than 2 diopters (D) of myopia and 95% of myopic patients have less than 6 diopters[7]. In 2003 a
multi-center study the US reported significantly different prevalence rates among children of four different ethnic groups. The highest rates were found among
Asian children with a prevalence of 18.5% and hispanic children with 13.2%[8]. Lower prevalence rates were found in African American children with 6.6%
followed by Caucasian children with a prevalence rate of 4.4%. A large epidemiological study in 2000 by Lin et al. showed that myopic prevalence rates for
Taiwanese children were reaching 80%[9]. It is reported that there are over 80 million myopic children world wide[10].
Associated Disease
In addition to physiologic, pathologic and syndromic myopia, other processes involving the refractive structures of the eye can also produce myopia. The power
of the lens can be increased by osmotic changes (diabetes, galactosemia, uremia, sulfonamides), nuclear sclerotic cataracts, anterior lenticonus, and changes in
lens position or shape (miotics, anterior lens dislocation, excessive accommodation). Changes to the cornea secondary to keratoconus, congenital glaucoma,
and contact lens-induced corneal warpage can also cause myopia. Myopia can also be the result of increased axial length secondary to retinopathy of
prematurity, posterior staphyloma, scleral buckle surgery and congenital glaucoma[4].
Multi-system disease
Sticklers Syndrome
Diabetes Mellitus (uncontrolled)
Marfan
Weill-Marchesani
Knobloch
Ehlers Danlos
Pathology
There are distinct pathological signs that are associated with high myopia. Dilated fundus examination may reveal various pathological changes in the posterior
pole including: myopic crescents, Fuch’s spots (pigmented, circular lesions secondary to subretinal neovascularization and hemorrhage), exudates, posterior
staphyloma, retinal breaks, scarring and retinal detachment. The optic discs may appear flat or tilted. The vitreous may also be affected with opacification,
liquification and detachment. Cataracts and open angle glaucoma are also risk factors of high myopia[7].
The ocular pathology that is associated with high myopia is not generally observed with isolated physiologic myopia. In 2003, Luo et al. used optic coherence
tomography (OCT) to study the association of macular volume and thickness with refraction and axial length. The study included 104 Chinese school children
with refractions between +1.00 to -4.5 diopters. After controlling for gender and age, the authors found that increasing axial myopia was associated with
reduced macular volume and parafoveal thickness[11]. The authors suggested that OCT may be a useful tool for determining early macular changes in
physiologic myopia.
Risk Factors
Genetic Factors
Many studies have investigated the heritability of parental myopia associated with physiological myopia. Numerous studies have shown a higher rate of myopia
in children with myopic parents and an even higher risk for children with two myopic parents[12], [6]. Many studies are confounded by strong environmental
factors and research has shown that associated parental heritability could be the result of shared environments rather than shared genes. Moreover,
investigators have also shown variation in the prevalence of myopia for individuals of the same racial or ethnic group in different geographic locations. In 2008
Rose et al. compared the prevalence and risk factors of myopia in children of Chinese ethnicity in both Sydney and Singapore with inclusion criteria that
required both parents to have Chinese ethnicity. The prevalence of myopia in children of Chinese ethnicity was significantly higher in Singapore (29.1%) than in
Sydney (3.3%)[13]. There is a general agreement that physiologic myopia has a multi-factorial etiology with both genetic and environmental influences.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors including near work, accommodation, accommodative lag, spectacle correction, intelligence scores, urbanization and diet have been
investigated for their role in myopia and myopic progression.
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no changes in accommodative lag prior to the onset of myopia, moreover accommodative lag was only documented in children after the onset of myopia. The
authors speculate that accommodative lag may be a consequence rather than a cause of myopia and is unlikely a predictive factor[17]. This was further
supported in 2008 by Weizhong et al who showed no significant relationship between accommodative lag and myopic progression[18].
Higher Intelligence
There are numerous multi-cultural studies that have shown higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in children with myopia. Although the causal relationship
has yet to be determined, it is hypothesized that ocular axial length is directly related to cerebral development. It has also been speculated that similar genes
influence both IQ and myopia. Seang-Mei et al studied 1204 children in Singapore to determine the association between intelligence and myopia. After
controlling for age, gender, parental myopia and education, and books read per week they showed that children with higher IQ scores had significantly more
myopia than those with lower IQ scores[19]. The authors suggest that non-verbal IQ may be an independent and stronger risk factor than increased reading
(books per week). In 2008 a similar study was performed in the UK on 6871 children and after adjusting for ethnicity and parental myopia a strong correlation
was shown between higher performance on school-based standardized tests, verbal IQ and risk of myopia[20]. Evidence based research has shown a strong
correlation between increased intelligence scores and risk of myopia but the reason for the association has yet to be determined.
Urbanization
There are several studies that have reported urbanization as a potential determinant of physiologic myopia. Many studies that have shown an association
between increased myopia in urban areas as compared to rural areas are confounded by variables such as level of education, IQ, socioeconomic status, near
related activities and outdoor exposure. In 2008, a Polish study of 2206 students found that children living in the city had a two-fold increase in the rate of
myopia when compared to children living in rural areas[21]. Although they were able to show a correlation between urbanization and myopia, the authors did
not control for the above mentioned co-variants and a causative relationship cannot be assumed.
Ambient Lighting
There is controversy in the literature as to whether ambient light while sleeping is a risk factor for developing myopia in young children. In 1999, a study
published in Nature by Quinn et al. investigated the affects of ambient lighting on refractive development in 479 young children. Parents of children admitted
to a pediatric ophthalmology clinic were given questionnaires on the child’s night time light exposure. The authors found an association between night-light
exposure during the first two years of life and the development of physiologic and high myopia. They reported a dose-dependant risk showing an even higher
prevalence of myopia in children who slept with room lights on before the age of two[22]. This article has been the subject of debate and with many researchers
questioning the validity of their findings. A similar study in 2003 was performed in the UK where parents of 122 university students answered questions on
their child’s artificial light exposure during the first two years of life. The study controlled for a number of variables including parental myopia and showed no
significant association between nighttime light exposure and myopia. Conversely, they found myopia was more common in children who slept in darkness
during infancy, although the data was not statistically significant[23]. There is currently no consensus on whether ambient nighttime lighting during early
childhood is a true risk factor for myopic development.
Nutrition
Although several studies have investigated the effect of diet and nutrition as environmental determinants of myopia and myopic progression, there are
significant inconsistencies in the results. A recent study in 2010 by Lim et al. evaluated the association between myopia, axial length and dietary factors of 851
Chinese children using food frequency questionnaires. After the authors controlled for age gender, body mass index, socioeconomic status, parental education,
time spent outdoors and books read per week they found that higher saturated fat and cholesterol were correlated with longer axial lengths[24]. They did not
find a significant association between myopic refractive error and any other nutrients analyzed.
Diagnosis
Signs
Children with physiologic myopia commonly present with complaints of blurred distance vision. Parents may also notice their child squint their eyes while
viewing distance objects. If the degree of myopia is moderate or high then children may be observed sitting closer to the television and computer or holding
reading material closer.
Pathologic changes related to high myopia are discussed in the pathology section.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of myopia is decreased distance vision. Patients with pathologic myopia may also report visual distortion secondary to retinal
pathology.
Diagnostic procedures
Myopia can be detected in children by various vision screening procedures at the pediatrician’s office or at school. A significant refractive error is suspected
when visual acuity is reduced during a routine eye exam or vision screening. Although vision screening techniques such as photo-screening and auto-refraction
can detect myopia, the prescription can only be accurately quantified using manifest or cycloplegic refraction. See clinical diagnosis.
Clinical diagnosis
Myopia is most accurately quantified using manifest or cycloplegic refraction. Cycloplegic refraction is the gold standard for diagnosing any refractive error in a
child. Children generally over-accommodate during manifest and auto-refractions, causing their refractive error to appear more myopic. Cycloplegic refraction
is therefore necessary to determine the most accurate prescription and to avoid over-minusing children.
The pathology that can be associated with pathologic high myopia is diagnosed with a dilated fundus exam.
Figure 2: Retinoscopy. A hand-held instrument (retinoscope) projects a beam of light into the eye. The ophthalmologist neutralizes the movement of the
reflected light with lenses to determine the patient’s refractive error
[25].
Management
General treatment
The standard treatment for myopia in children is glasses. A concave lens is used to diverge the light rays entering the eye and place the focal point on the retina.
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Figure 3: Light rays exiting a concave lens have less positive vergence, placing the focal point on the retina[26].
Once children have matured enough to handle the responsibility, then contact lenses may be an option. Most ophthalmologists agree that patients should be in
their pre-teen or early teenage years before considering contact lenses; however the decision is made for each patient based on their level of maturity. In
special circumstances, refractive surgery may be indicated for children with neurological impairment, neurobehavioural issues, facial deformities (craniofacial,
hemifacial microsomia, ear deformity) or severe anisometropia that render it impossible for glasses wear. Although contact lenses are usually the secondary
treatment option for children with developmental anomalies, there are concerns for infection, mishandling, and expense. Refractive surgery for the general
population is usually only indicated once the patient has stopped growing which generally occurs in the late teens to early twenties.
Surgery
Keratorefractive surgery uses lasers to re-shape the cornea and attempts to produce an emmetropic eye. If the surgery is successful then the patient will have
excellent visual acuity without glasses or contact lenses. Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser in situ kertomileusis (LASIK) and laser epithelial
keratomileusis are the most commonly performed refractive surgeries. Intraocular refractive surgeries are becoming more commonplace.
Primary Prevention
Various therapeutic modalities have been implemented for the treatment of myopic progression. The efficacy and safety of several of these treatment methods
have not yet been determined. Currently there are no general guidelines for preventing myopia and the use of non-medically proven treatments remains
controversial. Studies have shown that intensive near work may be a contributing factor for myopia and myopic progression. Many authors have speculated
that accommodating during near work may be contributing to the progression and development of myopia. Both refractive and pharmocological methods of
eliminating accommodative demands while participating in near work have been investigated.
There is significant debate over the efficacy and long term outcome of bifocals for the prevention of myopic progression. A recent study in 2010 by Cheng et al.
studied the effects of bifocals and prismatic bifocal spectacles on myopic progression in Chinese Canadian children. The authors showed a greater reduction of
myopic progression and axial elongation at two years for children in bifocals and prismatic bifocals as compared to the SVLs group[28]. Unfortunately, the study
did not provide long-term follow-up data.
In 2019, the FDA approved the first contact lens to slow the progression of myopia, MiSight. MiSight contact lenses have a central zone with distance
correction and concentric peripheral zones alternating myopic defocus with distance correction, and have been shown to slow the rate of myopia progression
by 59% and axial elongation by 52% over 3 years in a randomized, double-masked trial of 53 test patients versus 56 control patients wearing single vision
distance correction contact lenses. [29] Similarly, high add power (+2.50 D) multifocal contact lenses have been shown to significantly slow the rate of myopia
progression (by 45%) over 3 years. [30] Further research is needed to understand the clinical importance of these observed differences.
A study in 2016 by Chia et al. compared 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.01% atropine for prevention of myopia progression, finding that although at the 2 year mark there
was a dose-dependent reduction in myopia progression (high concentration meant greater reduction in myopia progression), during a 1 year washout period,
there was a larger rebound effect associated with higher concentrations of atropine. Essentially, over 5 years, the 0.01% atropine group was found to be most
effective in slowing myopia progression and axial elongation with less visual side effects compared with higher doses of atropine. [31] A report by the American
Academy of Ophthalmology in 2017 concluded that there is level 1 evidence that supports the use of atropine to prevent myopia progression, and that given
the more sustained effect and fewer adverse effects of 0.01% atropine, it may the most reasonable approach, though the optimal time to initiate and
discontinue therapy is not known. Ultimately, clinicians, patients, and families must decide whether the effects of atropine 0.01% are clinically significant
enough to warrant its use. [32] More recently, a study by Yam et al. in 2020 compared 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops, and demonstrated that
0.05% atropine had double the efficacy of 0.01% atropine over 2 years, but it is still unknown whether there will be a significant rebound effect during a
washout period. [33]
Pirenzepine is another muscarinic receptor antagonist, and unlike atropine it is relatively selective for the M1 receptor and less likely to cause cycloplegia and
mydriasis. Two similar studies invested the efficacy of Pirenzepine using multicenter, double-masked, placebo-controlled treatment trials. A 50% reduction in
myopic progression was shown in patients that used 2% pirenzepine gel in 2005 by Tan et al. and again in 2008 by Siatkowski et al.[34][10]. Both studies showed
an excellent safety profile with significantly less side effects than seen with atropine. Currently there are no long term follow-up data on pirenzepine.
Outdoor activity
The positive effect of outdoor activity for reducing myopic progression has been documented in numerous studies. Physical activity, sports, and low
accommodative demands have been postulated as the cause of this protective effect. The Sydney Myopia Study in 2008 demonstrated a significant reduction
in the prevalence of myopia in children who spent more time outdoors. After adjusting for time spent on near work, parental refractive error and ethnicity, they
showed that increased time spent outdoors, rather than physical activity was associated with less myopia[37]. The authors of the article suggest that light
intensity when outdoors may be the contributing factor, by increasing depth of field and decreasing image blur. They also comment on the possible effects of
light on theThe
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In 2015, Read et al. used a wrist worn light sensor to objectively measure mean daily ambient light exposure and found that children who experienced low
average daily ambient light exposure exhibited significantly greater eye growth than children experiencing moderate or high levels of exposure. [38]
A study from Taiwan published in 2018, explored the merits of a school-based intervention aimed at increasing outdoor activities and sunlight exposure, and
found that this sort of intervention can be effective in slowing the progression of myopia. The study also found that shorter outdoor time with high bright light
exposure was roughly equivalent to longer outdoor time in moderate intensity light in slowing myopia progression. [39]
Prognosis
Patients with early onset and high myopia have a worse prognosis for long term visual acuity. These patients tend to have a higher rate of myopic progression
with longer axial lengths. Patients with longer axial lengths are at a greater risk for developing myopic retinal degeneration and other associated pathology.
Somehow the growth mechanisms are sensitive to where the principal image plane is falling. If the principal image plane falls behind the retina, the eye tends to
grow more, and vice versa, when the image plane lies in front of the retina, the choroid thickens and the eye stops growing. Most studies on animals have been
carried out during a period that would be equivalent to the first year or two of life in humans. In that period, non treated congenital ptosis, corneal scars and
non-treated dense congenital cataracts often produce axial myopia in humans similarly as form deprivation develops in animal models.
The signalling cascade from the retina to the sclera is still under study. Amacrine cells have been implicated in retinal processing of the signal[46]. The
choroid[47] and the sclera [48]show biochemical changes associated with ocular growth in the animal models. Two drugs which have potential to prevent myopic
progression in children, atropine and pirenzepine, appear to block axial elongation in some of the animal models by pathways which do not involve
accommodation[49], perhaps by acting directly on the retina
[50] or the sclera[51].
By the 90’s, the link found between education and myopia development in epidemiological studies, was generally explained by the possible regulation of the
rate of axial elongation by defocus during reading[52]. In other words, the lag of accommodation present in humans while reading, places the image plane behind
the retina and it was suggested that this hyperopic defocus could induce axial elongation in humans, as it does in animal models [53]
[54]. Bifocals and progressive
addition lenses applied to myopic children showed some ability to slow myopic progression, consistent with this idea, although the effects were generally not
strong, and it was not clear why some subjects developed myopia while others did not if all children lag to some extent while reading[16]. Evidence on whether
accommodative lag precedes or is a consequence of myopia is conflicting[17].
In 2002 it was shown, in the chick model, that the stop signal produced by positive lenses was more robust than the grow signal of negative lenses[57]. One hour
of clear distance vision or exposure to positive lenses for short periods (i.e. images in front of the retina), cancelled the myopia produced in chicks by whole day
of frosted ocludders or negative lens wear. Experiments in monkeys with foveal ablation and lenses or occluders with central holes that allowed for clear
central vision showed that defocus in the peripheral retina could significantly affect axial growth of the eye[58][59]. This suggests that even if peripheral
hyperopic defocus is not a cause of myopia, if images in the periphery are placed in front of the retina (myopic defocus), the stop signal could decrease axial
elongation in human eyes. Spectacles and contact lenses with peripheral plus add are being tested in humans and there has been success in decreasing myopia
progression in selected cases[60][61]. More research is needed in this area before this technology is available.
Objectives
The goal was to determine if atropine can affect the progression of myopia in myopic Asian children and the effect after the cessation of the treatment.
Design
Double-masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, where children received 1% atropine or placebo to one of their eyes every night for two years, with a
followed-up for 1 and 3 years.
Inclusion criteria were 6-12 years, refractive error of spherical equivalent between -1 D and -6 D, BCVA in both eyes of logMAR 0.2 or better, astigmatism of
less than 1.50 D, anisometropia of less than 1.50 D.
Results
346 children completed the 2-year study. Myopia progression and axial elongation in placebo was -1.20+/-0.69 D and in atropine was 0.38+/-0.38 mm. The
differences in myopia progression and axial elongation between the 2 groups were -0.92 D in placebo and 0.40 mm in atropine. In the atropine group, the
myopia progression was only -0.28+/-0.92 D, and the axial length remained essentially unchanged compared with baseline (-0.02+/-0.35 mm). No serious
adverse events related to atropine were reported. The differences were statistically significant. The fellow eye of the atropine treated eye progressed in its
myopia that was not statistically different from either of the placebo eyes.
Despite the success of atropine in reducing myopia progression in the treated eye when given for two years, there was a rebound phenomenon observed over
the following 12 months once atropine was stopped. The spherical equivalent of the atropine treated eye progressed by -1.14D ± 0.80 over the third year
compared to -0.38D ± 0.39 in the placebo group. However, overall, after the third year, the eyes treated with atropine were less myopic than the eyes in the
placebo group: Mean total spherical equivalent was -4.29 D ± 1.67 in atropine compared to -5.22 D ± 1.38 in placebo.
Limitations
This study was conducted at a single centre in Singapore with a high prevalence of myopia.
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Conclusions
Atropine may limit the progression of low/moderate myopia in children. There is a rebound effect after cessation of treatment. Overall despite the rebound
effect, the total spherical equivalent may be less in eyes treated with atropine.
Objectives
The goal was to determine if atropine can slow the progression of myopia without causing side effects from cycloplegia and mydriasis in different
concentrations and the results after the cessation of the atropine treatment.
Design
Double-masked, randomized study of children aged 6-12 years with myopia of at least -2.0 diopters (D) and astigmatism of -1.50 D or less, were randomly
assigned in a 2:2:1 ratio to 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.01% atropine to be administered once nightly to both eyes for 2 years. Cycloplegic refraction, axial length,
accommodation amplitude, pupil diameter, and visual acuity were noted at baseline, 2 weeks, and then every 4 months for 2 years.
Inclusion criteria were 6-12 years, refractive error of spherical equivalent of at least -2 D in both eyes, astigmatism of less than 1.50 D, progression of at least
0.5 D over the last 12 months.
Results
400 children were randomised to 2:2:1 ratio to 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.01% atropine. The mean myopia progression at 2 years was -0.30±0.60, -0.38±0.60, and
-0.49±0.63 D in the atropine 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.01% groups, respectively (P=0.02 between the 0.01% and 0.5% groups; between other concentrations P > 0.05).
The mean increase in axial length was 0.27±0.25, 0.28±0.28, and 0.41±0.32 mm in the 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.01% groups, respectively (P < 0.01 between the 0.01%
and 0.1% groups and between the 0.01% and 0.5% groups). However, differences in myopia progression (0.19 D) and axial length change (0.14 mm) between
groups were small and clinically insignificant. Atropine 0.01% had a negligible effect on accommodation and pupil size, and no effect on near visual acuity.
Allergic conjunctivitis and dermatitis were the most common adverse effect noted, with 16 cases in the 0.1% and 0.5% atropine groups, and no cases in the
0.01% group.
Limitations
The axial lengths of all groups were approximately the same at 36 months which suggests that the mechanism of action is not directly associated with axial
length. The authors compared axial lengths of ATOM I and II even that the methods to calculate it were different.
Conclusions
The progression of myopia and cycloplegic effects show a dose-related response to atropine. Atropine 0.01% may slow the progression of myopia with minimal
side effects from cycloplegia. The rebound change in spherical equivalent at three years after stopping atropine was greater in higher concentrations of
atropine.
Objectives
The goal was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-concentration atropine eye drops at 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% compared with placebo over a 1-year
period.
Design
Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial of children aged 4 to 12 years, with myopia of at least −1.0 diopter (D), were randomised to 1:1:1:1 ratio
to receive 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops, or placebo eye drop, respectively, once nightly to both eyes for 1 year. Cycloplegic refraction, axial
length (AL), accommodation amplitude, pupil diameter, and BCVA were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months.
Inclusion criteria were children aged 4 to 12 years with myopic refraction of at least 1.0 D in both eyes, astigmatism of less than 2.5 D, and documented myopic
progression of at least 0.5 D in the past 1 year.
Results
From 2016 to 2017, 438 children were randomised to 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops, or placebo eye drop. After 1 year,
the mean SE change was −0.27±0.61 D, −0.46±0.45 D, −0.59±0.61 D, and −0.81±0.53 D in the 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine groups, and placebo groups,
respectively (P < 0.001), with a respective mean increase in AL of 0.20±0.25 mm, 0.29±0.20 mm, 0.36±0.29 mm, and 0.41±0.22 mm (P < 0.001). The
accommodation amplitude was reduced by 1.98±2.82 D, 1.61±2.61 D, 0.26±3.04 D, and 0.32±2.91 D, respectively (P < 0.001). The pupil sizes under photopic
and mesopic conditions were increased respectively by 1.03±1.02 mm and 0.58±0.63 mm in the 0.05% atropine group, 0.76±0.90 mm and 0.43±0.61 mm in the
0.025% atropine group, 0.49±0.80 mm and 0.23±0.46 mm in the 0.01% atropine group, and 0.13±1.07 mm and 0.02±0.55 mm in the placebo group (P < 0.001).
VA and vision-related quality of life were not affected.
Limitations
Placebo-compared efficacy was determined at 1-year, but not at 2-years, because it was considered unethical.
Conclusions
The 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops reduced myopia progression along with a concentration-dependent response, 0.05% atropine was most
effective in controlling SE progression and AL elongation over 1 year. All concentrations were well tolerated without any adverse effects.
Additional Resources
www.aapos.org (http://www.aapos.org)
AAPOS is the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. The organization's goals are to advance the quality of children's eye
care, support the training of pediatric ophthalmologists, support research activities in pediatric ophthalmology, and advance the care of adults with
strabismus.
eyecareamerica.org (http://www.eyecareamerica.org)
Founded in 1985, EyeCare America is a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
eyesmart.org (http://www.eyesmart.org)
The EyeSmart™ public awareness campaign empowers Americans to take charge of their eye health. EyeSmart emphasizes the need for Americans to
know their risk factors for eye diseases, infections and injuries, and the role ophthalmologists play in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eye
conditions.
www.nei.nih.gov (http://www.nei.nih.gov)
The National Eye Institute site, produced in conjunction with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is devoted specifically to eye care. Includes a
patient information library, photos and illustrations, low-vision information, news and events, clinical studies and current research, and patient
information in Spanish.
familydoctor.org (http://www.familydoctor.org)
Contains roughly 10 eye care-related topics from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Turbert D, Pagan-Duran B. Myopia (https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/myopia-list). American Academy of Ophthalmology. EyeSmart® Eye health.
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/myopia-list. Accessed March 19, 2019.
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