Peripheral Refraction in Myopic Children with and without Atropine Usage

PURPOSE: To compare the patterns of relative peripheral refractions of myopic children who were currently on atropine treatment for myopia control and myopic children who did not use atropine. METHODS: Chinese children (n = 209) aged 7 to 12 years participated in the study, 106 used atropine and 103 did not. Participants were also classified into three groups: emmetropes (SE: +0.50 to −0.50 D), low myopes (SE: −0.50 to −3.00 D), and moderate myopes (SE: −3.00 to −6.00 D). The central and peripheral refractions along the horizontal meridians (for both nasal and temporal fields) were measured in 10-degree steps to 30 degrees. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in spherical equivalent and astigmatism of the three refractive groups in either the nasal or temporal retina. The atropine group showed a significant relative myopia in the temporal 30° field in spherical equivalent compared to the emmetropic group (t(49) = 3.36, P=0.02). In eyes with low myopia, the atropine group had significant relative myopia in the nasal 30° and temporal 30° fields (t(118) = 2.59, P=0.01; t(118) = 2.06, P=0.04), and it is also observed at 20° and 30° of the nasal field for the moderate myopic group (t(36) = 2.37, P=0.02; t(2.84) = 2.84, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Significant differences in relative peripheral refraction were found between the atropine group and its controls. The findings suggested that the eyes that received atropine may have a less prolate shape and thus explain why using atropine is effective in controlling myopia progression.