Are you concerned that your child’s glasses prescription has been increasing in strength every year?  Or, would you like to decrease the chance that your child’s nearsightedness will worsen? If your child has myopia (also called nearsightedness), there is now a drop that is able to slow the progression of myopia! The drop is called Low Dose Atropine.  Atropine 1% is a dilating drop that ophthalmologists have been using for decades. However, when diluted to 1/100 of its normal strength to Atropine 0.01% (also called Low Dose Atropine), it does NOT dilate the pupil. Several studies have found that Low Dose Atropine given daily to children can decrease the rate at which myopia worsens.  It not only decreases the progression of myopia but also decreases the axial length elongation of the eye. Myopic individuals have eyes that can be much longer (front to back) than the normal population. This puts them at risk for retinal tears, retinal detachments, and myopic macular degeneration because the retina (the inner lining of the eye) is stretched more thinly over a longer eyeball, much like over-inflating a balloon stretches it out.  Axial length is a measurement that can be taken in the office to measure how long the eye is, and this can be stabilized with Low Dose Atropine.

Several studies over the past 8 years have examined the effects of Low Dose Atropine on nearsighted children.  Treatment with the drop was for 2 years and measurements were taken every six months to assess if the drop strength needed to be increased.  Side effects such as enlarged pupil, difficulty with reading or near vision were not found to be statistically significant. So far there are no long-term side effects associated with its use, however, longer-term studies with daily use are needed.

Unfortunately, even though Atropine 1% is an FDA approved medication, the use of Low Dose Atropine for preventing progression of nearsightedness is not.  Therefore insurance usually does not cover the cost of the medication, nor the testing needed to assess if the drop is working. Thus, treatment with the drop is typically an out of pocket expense (though it can depend upon your insurance).  The drop is specially formulated and must be made at a compounding pharmacy. It is not available at your local pharmacy.

If you are interested in Low Dose Atropine for your child, please talk to Dr. Rupa Wong or our staff and they can help answer any questions regarding treatment considerations and expense.