Analysis of the Effectiveness of Atropine Diluted with Artificial Tears in Slowing Myopic Progression

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy of atropine eye drops diluted with artificial tears in different ratios for mitigating myopia progression in children.Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the children diagnosed with myopia who were treated with 0.125% atropine eye drops, followed immediately by artificial tears. Participants were divided into two groups based on the atropine dilution method. Group A received one drop of atropine followed by one drop of artificial tears (resulting in an approximate atropine concentration of 0.063%) for 1 year. Group B received one drop of atropine followed by three drops of artificial tears (approximately 0.031% atropine) for 6 months. Subsequently, the regimen transitioned to one drop of artificial tears (approximately 0.063% atropine) for an additional 6 months. Myopia progression was evaluated by measuring changes in axial length and spherical equivalents at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.Results: We analyzed 58 children, including 30 in Group A (mean age: 8.7 ± 1.9 years) and 28 in Group B (mean age: 9.1 ± 1.5 years). Baseline axial lengths were 24.71 ± 1.05 mm in Group A and 24.90 ± 1.38 mm in Group B. At 6 months, mean axial length changes were 0.12 ± 0.15 mm in Group A and 0.17 ± 0.17 mm in Group B. Between 6 and 12 months, the respective changes were 0.17 ± 0.14 mm and 0.15 ± 0.12 mm. Both groups exhibited delayed myopia progression in axial length and spherical equivalents, with no statistically significant differences between them.Conclusions: Dilution of 0.125% atropine eye drops with artificial tears effectively slowed myopia progression in both groups. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two dilution methods. These findings emphasize the need for precise atropine formulations to optimize myopia control.