Evidence for the use of atropine to control myopia in children

Abstract

To describe the effectiveness of using atropine as a method of controlling the progression of myopia in children. This is a systematic review study of literature, which search strategies in the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) and PubMed, through different combinations of the descriptors “Myopia”, “Control”, “Children” and “Atropine ” in the 2020-2023 timeframe. After selecting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 articles compose the sample corpus. Atropine concentration is directly related to efficacy, with higher doses being more effective, however, also is associated with the appearance of adverse effects, especially photophobia. The most used dose is 0.01%, which presents positive results in control and fewer side effects; most of these studies involve the Asian population. There is a variation in results between populations, due to the different level of pigment in the iris, in addition to sociocultural differences between ethnicities. The lack of intervention can result in complications, with an increased risk related to the degree among children, and is not reduced with optical correction alone. The use of atropine is promising for controlling myopia in children, however it must be tested in association with other control methods and in different populations, so that the treatment is individualized and carried out in a way that presents results, in addition to reducing complications related to refractive disorder.