An Intervention Trial on Efficacy of Atropine and Multi-Focal Glasses in Controlling Myopic Progression

Purpose: This randomized clinical trial assessed the treatment effects of atropine and/or multi-focal lenses in decreasing the progression rate of myopia in children. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-seven schoolchildren with myopia, aged from 6 to 13 years, who were stratified based on gender, age and the initial amount of myopia were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: 0.5% atropine with multi-focal glasses, multi-focal glasses, and single vision spectacles, Each subject was followed for at least eighteen months. These results report on the 188 patients available for the follow-up.Results: The mean progression of myopia in atropine with multi-focal glasses group (0.41 D) was significantly less than the multi- focal (1.19 D) and single vision group (1.40 D) (p < 0.0001). But no significant difference was noted between the last two groups (p = 0.44). The progression of myopia was significantly correlated with the increases of axial length (r = 0.65, p = 0.0001), but not with the changes of corneal power (r = -0. 09), anterior chamber depth (r = -0.023), lens thickness (r = -0.08), or intra-ocular pressure (r = -0.008),Conclusion: The 0.5% atropine with multi-focal lenses can slow down the progression rate of myopia. However, multi-focal lenses alone showed no difference in effect compared to control