Myopia Management: Atropine Drops

Over the last several blogs we have discussed some different methods of myopia control including the Miyosmart lenses in glasses, Misight contact lenses and Ortho-K contact lenses. The final technique of myopia management is with atropine  eye drops.

Atropine is a prescription eye drop that when used at low concentrations has been demonstrated to slow down the progression of myopia or nearsightedness by affecting the growth of the eyeball. In myopia, there is a mismatch between the focusing power of the eye and the length of the eyeball. Progressive lengthening of the eye means that the light is not being focused properly at the back of the eyeball, resulting in more blurry distance vision and increasing glasses prescriptions to help correct for this. The exact mechanism of how atropine slows down nearsightedness is still not yet fully understood but clinical studies show that this type of myopia management is one of the most effective and can slow down myopia progression on average by 50-80%. This low dose eye drop is used once daily at bedtime and studies have demonstrated a good safety profile with very minimal effects on
accommodation (eye focusing) and near vision. Most children using low dose Atropine have no need for bifocal eyeglasses but corrective glasses or contact lenses are still needed during the day. Myopia therapy with atropine eye drops is simple, effective and can be done with young children who may not be ready for other types of therapy such as contact lenses. Atropine eye drops can also be used in combination with other types of myopia management if required. For more information on Atropine therapy for myopia control please reach out to us for a myopia consultation with one of our Optometrists to discuss the best options for you or a loved one.