Abstract

STUDY DESIGN – Prospective case-control study.
PURPOSE – To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 0.01% atropine eye drop in reducing the progression of myopia (MP) in children between 5-15 years of age.
METHOD – 100 myopic children having spherical equivalent (SE) of ≥ 2 diopters (D) were divided into two groups- case group (right eye) received 0.01% atropine and control group (left eye) received 0.05% carboxymethylcellulose. Participants were followed up at 4 month, 8 month and 12 month.
RESULT – At 1year follow-up, the axial length elongation in case and control group was 0.03 ± 0.42 mm and 0.59 ± 0.79 mm respectively and the difference between the two was statistically significant (p <0.001). The MP was 0.14 ± 0.20 D and 0.68 ± 0.62 D in case and control group respectively and the difference between the two was statistically significant (p <0.001).
CONCLUSION – Our study shows that 0.01% atropine eye drop is safe and effective for reducing the progression of myopia in children.