Myopia Could Be Prevented Early Thanks To Eye Drops, New Study Finds

Myopia is a condition where the eyeballs grow too long from front to back, causing blurred distant vision. Also known as nearsightedness, it is irreversible and can increase the risk of advancing into cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration later in life.

The complication often develops during childhood, so a team of scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is studying new ways to stave off its progression by nipping it in the bud in young kids. In doing so, they have tested the effectiveness of using eye drops to prevent myopia from coming about.

The medicated solution in question contains 0.05 percent atropine, which relaxes the muscle used to focus vision. The initial analysis, published in Journal of American Medical Association, posits that the drops could delay its onset. As part of the study, they recruited 353 children between the ages of four and nine from Hong Kong. Each was randomly assigned eye drops with varying degrees of atropine, from 0.01% to 0.05%. The academics did not tell the families and their respective medical providers the exact percentage for each child.

This is because the team notes that while myopia can be genetic and that children with parents also suffer from it are more likely to develop it themselves, environmental factors also come into play. For example, a lack of time outdoors and a more intensive education regime can play a role in its advancement.

After two years, only 25% of the kids who took the 0.05% dosage developed myopia in at least one eye. This is compared with 50% of the kids in the 0.01% group who contracted it.

Further and more extensive studies still need to be held as the group was limited to just children in Hong Kong. Another factor that needs to be considered is eye color as they are often more light-sensitive.

All in all, there is still no conclusion as to how atropine slows down the progression of myopia. However, Dr Jason Yam, the study’s lead author, suggests that the medication could improve blood circulation in the eye and inhibit the advancement of the condition.

[via The Wall Street Journal and Science News, Photo 116515218 © Ratchadaphon Sriprapha | Dreamstime.com]