What Is Atropine?

What is atropine?

Atropine is the only medication that has currently been found to demonstrate efficacy in slowing down the progression of myopia.

In fact, studies done on atropine eye drops have shown that it slows down the progression of myopia by approximately 80%. The use of low-dose atropine has provided a significant breakthrough in terms of mediating the progression of myopia in a matter which does not involve having to wear eyeglasses or undergoing any measure of surgery.

What exactly is myopia?

Myopia occurs when the relative front-to-back distance between the cornea and retina of the eye is longer. 

What this means is that light entering the eye is refracted inappropriately and instead of light rays focusing on the retina, they focus in front of it instead. This results in blurred visuals of objects that are further away and as such, myopia is also known as nearsightedness.

Extensive studies have shown that in higher concentrations, atropine is able to reduce the elongation that exists between the cornea and retina. This leads to improvement in the condition of nearsightedness.

The extensive results gathered have also shown that the atropine treatment can be prescribed to slow down the progression of myopia in children when a standard course of treatment of two years is prescribed.

How does atropine work?

Atropine eye drops have been known to slow down the progression of myopia since the 1960s and there are different kinds of atropine that can be used. 

Different concentrations of atropine can be used, ranging from 0.01% to 1%. In recent years, studies have found that lower doses of atropine at 0.01%, 0.125%, 0.5% can be just as effective with less side effects. 

The lowest concentration of 0.01% atropine is an ideal starting point for treatment as it is also associated with the least potential ocular side effects. Atropine eye drops are used once in the evening and results are typically seen approximately 2 to 3 weeks after initial use.

Additional studies have also shown that in instances where results are not achieved at the lowest used concentration of atropine, it can be increased and coupled with more outdoor time to ensure better results.

Another way to differentiate between different atropine treatments would be if the eye drops contain preservatives or are preservative-free.  Common eye drop preservatives, such as benzalkonium chloride may cause eye irritation and stinging in some patients and can also discolour soft contact lenses. 

On the other hand, while preservative-free formulations are a more convenient dosage form with less side effects, they are generally more costly. It is important to consult your ophthalmologist on which ones you are more suitable for.