Efficacy of Atropine Eye Drops for Suppressing Myopia Progression in Thai Children

Thammanoon  Surachatkumtonekul; Pinpilai  Jutasompakorn; Sirawadee Wiriyaudomchart; Kiatthida  Hokierti; Jureeporn   Sri-in

doi:10.33192/smj.v75i11.264383

Authors

Thammanoon Surachatkumtonekul
Pinpilai Jutasompakorn Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Sirawadee Wiriyaudomchart Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Kiatthida Hokierti Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Jureeporn Sri-in Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33192/smj.v75i11.264383

Keywords:

Myopia, Atropine Eye Drops

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of low-dose atropine eye drops in retarding myopic progression among school-age children at Siriraj hospital.

Materials and Methods: The medical records of 248 myopia-diagnosed patients were reviewed. All patients were received low-dose atropine eye drops and had at least one follow-up visit within 1 year after the treatment initiation. Spherical equivalent (SE) measurements were collected at pre- and post-treatment visits, as well as any reported side effects. Comparing the SE changes observed between the pre- and post-treatment periods, as well as between the two different concentrations of atropine was analyzed.

Results: A total of 495 eyes were analyzed, with 461 eyes receiving 0.01% atropine eye drops and 32 eyes being administered 0.05%. The demographic data between two groups showed no significant difference. The comparison of SE change one year prior to and one year after treatment in the 0.01% and 0.05% group yielded a p-value of less than 0.001 and 0.003, respectively, (SE change are -0.38 (-0.75-0.00) and -0.25 (-0.72-(-0.25)) in the 0.01% and 0.05% group, respectively). However, the between-group comparison of SE change at 6 months and 1 year showed no significant difference. Regarding side effects, one-third of the eyes in the 0.05% group (37.5%) experienced adverse effects while only eight eyes (1.7%) in the 0.01% group reported side effects.

Conclusion: This research contributes support to the effectiveness of employing low-dose atropine for the treatment of myopia in Thai children. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the use of 0.05% atropine was associated with a higher incidence of side effects.

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