Study compares 0.01%, 0.025%, and 0.05% atropine for pediatric myopia control

Low-concentration atropine eye drops were associated with reduced myopia progression in children over 12 months, according to a study.

In a prospective, real-world, multi-center study, 175 Chinese children aged 6 to 18 years with myopia were treated with nightly atropine eye drops at concentrations of 0.01%, 0.025%, or 0.05%.

All 3 atropine concentrations were effective in slowing myopia progression. After 12 months, the smallest spherical equivalent progression was observed in the 0.05% group (-0.27 ± 0.72 D), followed by the 0.025% group (-0.35 ± 0.59 D) and the 0.01% group (-0.44 ± 1.02 D), with a statistically significant difference between the 0.05% and 0.01% groups (P = 0.014).

Axial length elongation was lowest in the 0.025% group (0.21 ± 0.19 mm), although differences among the 3 groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.299). Regression analyses indicated that changes in axial length accounted for more than 34% of the variation in spherical equivalent in the 0.025% and 0.05% groups, compared with 14% in the 0.01% group.

Reference
Li HX, Wu P, Qi WP, et al. Real-world evidence for atropine titration in myopia control: a comparative study of three low-dose regimens in Chinese children. Front Pharmacol. 2026;17:1716698. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1716698. PMID: 41853489; PMCID: PMC12993483.