Short-Term Choroidal and Retinal Structural Changes in Myopic Children Treated with 0.05% Atropine.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Optometry
• Myopia Research

Background:

• Myopia is a growing public health concern in children.
• Current treatments focus on slowing myopia progression, but structural ocular changes are less understood.
• 0.05% atropine is a common pharmacologic treatment for myopia control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of daily 0.05% atropine on choroidal and retinal structural changes in myopic children.
• To assess if atropine influences ocular growth beyond refractive error and axial length changes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 100 children (aged 6-15 years) with 6-month follow-up.
• Comparison between nightly 0.05% atropine eyedrops and no pharmacologic treatment.
• Measurements included spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), and swept-source OCT angiography for detailed choroidal and retinal layer analysis.

Main Results:

• Atropine significantly reduced myopia progression (ΔSE) and axial elongation (ΔAL) compared to controls.
• The atropine group showed significant increases in choroidal thickness (CT), retinal thickness (RT), and various retinal layers (ORL, GCL+IPL, INL).
• Changes in macular CT, CVV, RT, and GCL+IPL correlated positively with SE improvement and negatively with AL elongation.

Conclusions:

• Daily 0.05% atropine effectively slows myopia progression and axial elongation in children.
• Atropine promotes beneficial structural changes in the choroid and retina, suggesting a partial reversal of ocular growth.
• These findings support the therapeutic role of atropine in comprehensive myopia management.