Combination therapy with atropine and DFCL shows promising myopia control in adults

Combining 0.05% atropine with dual-focus soft contact lenses (DFCL) has a more significant and longer-lasting effect on increasing choroidal thickness and decreasing axial length in myopic adults compared to either treatment alone, according to a study.

In a randomized trial, patients received either atropine alone, DFCL alone, or a combination of the two. Key metrics— choroidal thickness, choroidal vascularity index (CVI), and axial length—were tracked at intervals across 1 month of treatment and for an additional month after stopping the intervention.

Both atropine alone and the combined therapy led to a significant increase in choroidal thickness and a reduction in axial length, with combination therapy showing the most notable effect. In contrast, DFCL alone did not significantly impact these measurements. After discontinuation, changes in choroidal thickness and axial length from combined therapy persisted for up to 14 days, whereas atropine effects lasted only 2 days. Baseline CVI showed a significant correlation with changes in choroidal thickness and axial length for those on combination therapy, though CVI itself remained unchanged across all treatments.

Reference
Zhang J, Zhong M, Fan S, et al. Differential impact of combined therapy and monotherapy with 0.05% atropine eyedrops and dual focus contact lenses on choroid. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2024;102320. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2024.102320. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39467722.