Effects of 0.01% Atropine Instillation Assessed Using Swept-Source Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography

In this paper, we assessed the short-term effects of 0.01% atropine eye drops on anterior segment parameters by performing ocular biometry using a swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography system (AS-OCT). We recruited 17 healthy volunteers (10 men and 7 women aged 24–35 years) with no history of eye disease. Participants without accommodative demand demonstrated significant mydriasis 1 h after the atropine instillation (4.58 ± 0.77 to 5.41 ± 0.83 mm). Pupil diameters with a 5 diopter (D) accommodative stimulus at 1 h (4.70 ± 1.13 mm) and 24 h (4.05 ± 1.06 mm) after atropine instillation were significantly larger than those at baseline (3.71 ± 0.84 mm). Barring pupil diameter, no other biometric parameters significantly changed at any point in time after atropine instillation without accommodative demand. However, with an accommodative stimulus, anterior chamber depth (ACD) at 1 h and posterior curvature of the lens at 1 and 24 h were both significantly larger than those before atropine instillation. Using AS-OCT, we detected a slight decrease in the accommodation response of ocular biometric components evoked by 0.01% atropine instillation. Morphologically, our measurements suggested a change in the ACD and horizontal radius of the lens’ posterior surface curvatures due to the subtle reduction of accommodation.