According to a recent study, using 0.05 percent atropine eye drops at night could reduce the progression of myopia in youngsters, at least briefly.
The study1 examined the use of drops containing 0.05 percent atropine, a drug that relaxes the eye muscle responsible for concentrating vision.
How Eye Drops May Delay Myopia?
Myopia has become increasingly common in recent decades. Around one-fourth of the world’s population currently suffers from the illness. It is anticipated to affect half of the world’s population by 2050.
Experts predict that during the next 30 years, roughly half of the world’s population will be myopic. This indicates that by 2050, about 4.76 billion people will be myopic. Myopia development and progression rates have been especially high in school-aged youngsters. This is especially concerning because the rate of advancement of myopia is faster in children who develop myopia at a younger age.
Wearing glasses or contact lenses is unquestionably inconvenient. More concerning is the fact that the risk of eye disease and irreversible vision loss increases with the degree of myopia. This means that millions of children are at risk of having irreversible eyesight loss as adults in the near future.
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What Is Atropine?
So, what can be done to slow myopia progression? There are now several techniques that have demonstrated some success in delaying the progression of myopia and eyeball elongation. Higher myopia is associated with a number of vision-threatening problems, so these strategies are critical.
Some studies have demonstrated that specialized contact lenses and glasses are beneficial. An eye drop is one kind of myopia control that parents can easily incorporate into their daily practice. With youngsters, this option is to apply to dilute atropine eye drops at night.
Atropine is an eye drop that has long been used in eye doctors’ offices. It dilates the pupil and temporarily paralyzes the eye’s accommodating mechanism. It is utilized not just by eye doctors, but also by veterinarians. Atropine eye drops can be used to dilate the pupil and treat canine eye problems in dogs.
Atropine is an anticholinergic medication. This means that it prevents the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from functioning. This results in temporary paralysis of the accommodative system and dilation of the pupil.
Risks Of Using Atropine Eye Drops
Several studies have demonstrated that a low dose of atropine eye drops given in both eyes at bedtime can reduce the growth of axial myopia in children. Axial myopia is caused by an abnormal growth in the length of the eyeball in comparison to the focusing ability of the lens and cornea. It is the most frequent kind of myopia in school-aged children.
The higher the atropine eye drops dosage, the more likely adverse effects will occur. Atropine eye drops have the following side effects:
- Light sensitivity as a result of dilated pupils
- Difficulties with close work, such as reading, due to paralysis of accommodation
- When administered, it causes eye stinging.
- Allergy or intolerance to the composition of the eyes
Smaller amounts of atropine, such as those used in children for myopia correction (0.01%, 0.025%, 0.05%), have been demonstrated to have only a little effect on pupil size and up-close vision.
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