Low-concentration atropine eye drops have been approved for marketing. How to make good use of this close-range defense weapon?

Myopia in children has always been a headache for parents. After the low-concentration atropine eye drops, which has been proven to be effective in delaying the progression of myopia through evidence-based medicine, were approved for marketing, they have attracted much attention from parents. How to use this myopia prevention weapon well? Make myopia prevention and control more effective!

Recommended users

According to the Expert Consensus on the Use of Low-Concentration Atropine Eye Drops in the Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents (2022), the age of myopia patients aged 4 to adolescence, with or without astigmatism, is currently reported in the literature to be 4 to 16 years old. For children under 6 years old, medication requires stricter monitoring and follow-up. For adolescents over 18 years old, if myopia continues to progress rapidly or the eye load is still heavy, the medication time may be appropriately extended.

Drug purchase

Low-concentration atropine eye drops are prescription drugs and need to be purchased and used in a regular medical institution under the advice of a doctor. A comprehensive refractive examination is also required before use to assess whether the drug is suitable for use.

Precautions when taking medication

The method of using low-concentration atropine is to drip it once every night before going to bed, one drop at a time.

Usage steps: ① First clean your hands, tilt your head back, gently pull open the lower eyelid with your fingers, and look up. ② Drop a drop of eye drops into the lower conjunctival sac (the conjunctiva between the lower eyelid and the eyeball). ③ Immediately press the inner corner of the eye to prevent the liquid from flowing into the nasal cavity, so that the liquid stays on the surface of the eyeball as much as possible to achieve the best effect. ④ Finally, gently close your eyes and rest for about 5 minutes.

The medication does not affect close-up learning and reading, but the use of electronic products is not recommended.

Joint Application

Low-concentration atropine and outdoor exercise

Outdoor exercise is one of the simplest and most economical ways to prevent and control myopia. The outdoor light intensity is high, the retinal illumination is increased, and the production of dopamine can effectively inhibit the growth of the eye axis. The use of low-concentration atropine eye drops has no effect on outdoor exercise. If mild symptoms of photophobia occur, you can protect yourself from light by wearing a sun hat or sunglasses.

Low concentration atropine and glasses

Low-concentration atropine is an effective drug for slowing down the progression of myopia, but it does not correct vision. Therefore, frame glasses are needed to solve the refractive problem of unclear vision. The combination of the two can effectively solve the problem of blurred vision and slow down the rapid progression of myopia.

Low concentration atropine and "OK mirror"

"OK lenses" use the principle of corneal plasticity to flatten the curvature of the central area of ​​the cornea within a certain range, thereby temporarily reducing the degree of myopia by a certain amount. Orthokeratology lenses combined with low-concentration atropine eye drops have obvious advantages. They can exert the effects of drugs and the shaping effects of orthokeratology lenses to jointly delay the progression of myopia, promote vision correction, and effectively improve the learning and quality of life of adolescent patients [1].

When using both, it is recommended to first apply low-concentration atropine eye drops, and then wear the orthokeratology lenses after 5-15 minutes. It is not recommended to apply atropine after wearing orthokeratology lenses.

Drug discontinuation and rebound effects

Patients who respond well to low-concentration atropine eye drops, with little or no myopia progression or progression of no more than 0.25 D, can be treated for 2-3 years, especially in children and adolescents aged 13 years and above, and discontinuation of the medication can be considered [2].

After using atropine for a period of time, there will be a certain rebound effect when the drug is stopped, which is mainly manifested as a rebound in the growth rate of refractive power and axial length. The lower the atropine concentration, the smaller the myopia rebound effect after stopping the drug.

- END -

Content source:

[1] Evaluation of the value of orthokeratology combined with 0.01% atropine eye drops in controlling myopia in adolescents

[2] Expert consensus on the use of low-concentration atropine eye drops in the prevention and control of myopia in children and adolescents (2022)

Medical knowledge is for reference only and is not used as a basis for diagnosis