Effectiveness of cyclopentolate 1% compared to the combination of cyclopentolate 1%, tropicamide 1%, and phenylephrine 10% in cycloplegic refractive examination

Context: Refractive errors in children require appropriate eyeglass correction. Cycloplegic refraction is a method used to determine eyeglass prescriptions in children due to their high accommodative power. Drugs such as cyclopentolate, tropicamide, and phenylephrine are often used in performing cycloplegic refraction. Aims: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of cyclopentolate 1% (C) and a combination of cyclopentolate 1%, tropicamide 1%, and phenylephrine 10% (CTP). Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional study using medical records from using medical records from a private hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia, obtained through consecutive sampling (January 2021–July 2024). Subjects and Methods: Subjects were grouped based on the agents used, C and CTP. Refractive values before and after drug administration, as well as the differences, were compared. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using Jamovi 2.4.11. Results: The data obtained were from children aged 6–17 years. Of the 64 samples, 34 (53.1%) were female, and 30 (46.9%) were male. The most common age group was 6–9 years (60.9%). Significant differences in refraction were found before and after drug administration in both the C group ( P < 0.05) and the CTP group ( P < 0.05). However, no significant differences in refraction were found between the two groups after drug administration for both the left eye ( P = 0.21) and the right eye ( P = 0.88). Conclusions: There were significant differences in the changes in refraction results in both groups, while no differences in effectiveness were found between the two groups.