Very small doses of atropine are effective at slowing the progression of myopia in children without the side-effects normally associated with the drug, delegates at the American Academy of Ophthalmology heard this week.
A follow-up to a five-year study begun in Singapore in 2006, showed the long-term benefits of atropine can outweigh the risks.
In the original study 400 children aged between six and 12 were given atropine at percentages of 0.5, 0.1 and 0.01 for two years. The medication was then stopped for one year. The children who became at least 0.5D more myopic during that year underwent further treatment with a 0.01 concentration of the drug for a further two years.
After the five years the children in the low dosage group were the least myopic and the slowing of the progression of myopia was estimated to be 50 per cent.
The five-year follow up study showed that the low concentration of atropine meant there was little effect on near vision and it did not cause conjunctivitis or allergic reactions.