Efficacy of combined orthokeratology and 0.01% atropine solution for slowing axial elongation in children with myopia: a 2-year randomised trial

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 12750
• Main Authors: Kinoshita, Nozomi, Konno, Yasuhiro, Hamada, Naoki, Kanda, Yoshinobu, Shimmura-Tomita, Machiko, Kaburaki, Toshikatsu, Kakehashi, Akihiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 29.07.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/699; Atropine; Atropine - administration & dosage; Axial Length, Eye; Biometry; Child; Children; Elongation; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Japan; Male; multidisciplinary; Myopia; Myopia - drug therapy; Myopia - surgery; Orthokeratologic Procedures; Prospective Studies; Refraction, Ocular; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Treatment Outcome; Japan
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69710-8

Eighty Japanese children, aged 8–12 years, with a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of − 1.00 to − 6.00 dioptres (D) were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either a combination of orthokeratology (OK) and 0.01% atropine solution (combination group) or monotherapy with OK (monotherapy group). Seventy-three subjects completed the 2-year study. Over the 2 years, axial length increased by 0.29 ± 0.20 mm ( n  = 38) and 0.40 ± 0.23 mm ( n  = 35) in the combination and monotherapy groups, respectively ( P  = 0.03). Interactions between combination treatment and age or SER did not reach significance level (age, P  = 0.18; SER, P  = 0.06). In the subgroup of subjects with an initial SER of − 1.00 to − 3.00 D, axial length increased by 0.30 ± 0.22 mm ( n  = 27) and 0.48 ± 0.22 mm ( n  = 23) in the combination and monotherapy groups, respectively ( P  = 0.005). In the − 3.01 to − 6.00 D subgroup, axial length increased by 0.27 ± 0.15 mm ( n  = 11) and 0.25 ± 0.17 mm ( n  = 12) in the combination and monotherapy groups, respectively ( P  = 0.74). The combination therapy may be effective for slowing axial elongation, especially in children with low initial myopia.