ATROPINE EYE DROPS
PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION
How Does Atropine Slow Myopia Progression?
Atropine eye drops help to slow the progression of myopia by relaxing the eye's focusing mechanism, which may reduce eye strain. These drops can be used as a form of mono-therapy for myopia control or as an adjunct with other treatment options. The treatment requires one drop to be instilled per eye at night-time.
The exact biochemical mechanism in how atropine slows myopia progression is not yet fully understood. Atropine has effect on various stuctures with the eye, including the iris and the ciliary muscles that control focusing, but current research suggests atropine also acts to thicken the choroid, the middle layers of the eye's structure, thereby helping to resist stretching and elongation that occurs with myopic eye growth.
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How Effective Is Atropine?
Various concentrations of atropine eye drops are available - these include 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04% and 0.05%. The overall effectiveness increases with higher concentrations of the drop.
... However, higher concentrations are not necessarily always better. This is becuse optical side-effects increase with higher concentrations. These side effects include more pronounced glare and light sensitivity as well as greater difficulties with close viewing.
The ideal myopia control treatment for your child will depend on a number of factors, including their prescription, activities, risk factors and progression rates.
How Do I Use Atropine?
Atropine eye drops are placed in your child’s eyes once a day, at night-time before sleep. A one-week trial is recommended to ensure of no unexpected adverse effects. The child's usual form of vision correction — glasses and/or contact lenses — are worn as usual to see. Sunglasses or photochromatic (transition) lenses may be needed if the child becomes more sensitive to glare. Treatment effect is monitored every 6 months. Length of treatment is typically 2 years but can vary after evaluation of its myopia control effect.
How Do I Get Started?
An optometrist who is therapeutically endorsed to prescribe prescription-only medicines and has an interest in myopia management can prescribe low-dose atropine eye drops for your child. Ophthalmologists (eye specialists) can also prescribe this treatment.
If your child sees an ophthalmologist we can certainly work with them to co-manage your child's myopia; we have the same level of technology as ophthalmologists to manage myopia and can offer an even wider range of treatment options for your child.
Only the lowest-dose 0.01% atropine, which has a lower level of effectiveness, is commercially available in Australia. All other doses need to be individually formulated by a compounding chemist. The cost of atropine treatment is around $35-45 per month.
Please see our ​blog post for further information about obtaining compounded atropine eye drops in Melbourne.