Atropine Drops Widely Used for Myopia Control
Atropine eye drops have been used for myopia control for many years, with effective short-term results. Several studies have shown that Atropine eye drops can reduce myopia progression by temporarily paralyzing the focusing muscle inside the eye. These drops are suitable for patients who are not able to wear contact lenses (due to age or outside of scope), experience dry eye, allergies or other conditions that prevent them from wearing contact lenses.
One of the main benefits of Atropine over other methods of myopia control is that it is better suited for younger children, or can be used by people not well suited for other methods of treatment. Slowing myopia progression is expected, but not guaranteed. This treatment will still involve the use of glasses or contacts during the day.
Atropine drops may be used in combination with MiSight® 1 day contacts or Ortho-K.
The team at Magruder Eye Institute stands committed to be available along your journey.
Indications for Atropine Drops
Atropine 1% is a common concentration and is FDA-approved for dilation. The effect and safety of Atropine on delaying the progression of myopia has been extensively studied. For myopia control, lower dosing (ranging from 0.01-0.1%) will not cause dilation and is used as “off-label” for myopia control in any ages, but most studies were done ages 6 and up.
Multiple recent studies have identified the effectiveness of Atropine was related to dose. The Low concentration Atropine for Myopia Progression (LAMP) study published in 2020 showed 0.55±0.86 D progression in the 0.05% group, 0.85±0.73 D progression in the 0.025% group and 1.12±0.85 D progression in the 0.01% group. For this reason, we usually start with the 0.05%.
