The online sale of atropine, the "miracle drug for myopia", has been suspended! Can children still use it? Experts remind us:

Recently, Shenyang Xingqi Eye Hospital announced that its Internet hospital has suspended the sale of 0.01% atropine sulfate eye drops. At the same time, another company also announced that the Internet diagnosis and treatment of atropine eye drops has been suspended, and you need to go to the hospital for treatment and get a prescription to get the medicine. The suspension of the Internet hospital sales of atropine eye drops, the so-called "miracle drug for myopia", once topped the hot search list.

What is the effect of atropine? Is it really a "miracle drug for myopia"? What signal does the suspension of online sales send?

Atropine has clear indications and can delay the development of myopia

Atropine eye drops are a competitive muscarinic receptor (M receptor) antagonist, and its main ingredient is atropine. According to the concentration of atropine, atropine eye drops can be divided into different types such as 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.1%. Generally speaking, after comprehensively considering the effectiveness, side effects, and rebound probability of atropine after discontinuation, most clinical practices currently use low-concentration (i.e., 0.01%) atropine eye drops.

Existing experimental data show that atropine eye drops may act on multiple targets and slow the progression of myopia through multiple pathways. An ophthalmologist who did not want to be named at a tertiary hospital in Beijing told reporters, "Its main functions are twofold: one is to control the growth of the eye axis. The growth of the eye axis is crucial to the development of myopia, so controlling the excessive growth of the eye axis is a very important part of preventing and controlling myopia. Atropine eye drops can relieve scleral hypoxia and increase choroidal blood perfusion pressure, thereby inhibiting the growth of the eye axis. The second is to relax the eye muscles. Atropine eye drops can block the control of the ciliary muscle and pupillary sphincter by the cholinergic nerves, effectively relieve spasms and fatigue, relax the eyes, and achieve the effect of controlling myopia."

In recent years, studies have indeed found that low-concentration atropine eye drops can delay the development of myopia in children. However, atropine eye drops have specific clinical indications and are not suitable for all myopic patients.

The above experts introduced:

In terms of age, the recommended users of this drug are myopic people aged 4 to adolescence, but children under 6 years old require closer monitoring and follow-up.

In terms of degree, atropine eye drops are suitable for people whose equivalent spherical degree increases by more than 50 degrees each year.

This drug can also be used by people with risk factors for rapid progression, such as a genetic history of high myopia.

The expert emphasized that patients should have scientific knowledge, and the selection of drugs needs to comprehensively consider their effectiveness, side effects, indications, contraindications, etc., and requires dialectical treatment.

Atropine cannot reverse myopia and has certain side effects

in the country, atropine was once hailed as a "miracle drug for myopia", but is it really that miraculous?

At a press conference held by the National Health Commission in May 2020, Wei Wenbin, deputy director and director of ophthalmology at Beijing Tongren Hospital, stated that low-concentration atropine eye drops are not a miracle drug. Some children will develop photophobia, blurred vision at close range, and atropine allergic reactions after using low-concentration atropine. Some children also used 0.01% atropine eye drops, but the progression of myopia could not be effectively controlled.

Once true myopia occurs, it is difficult to reverse. The only way is to control the degree of myopia from increasing too quickly. Atropine eye drops are a way to control the increase of myopia. Atropine eye drops have a long history of use and have achieved international consensus, so they are widely recognized.

Experts do not recommend using atropine eye drops on your own. The doctor who did not want to be named said that if you plan to use atropine eye drops, you should first go to a professional medical institution to see a doctor and let the doctor understand your condition and give professional advice before using it. Parents should fully understand the benefits and risks of such drugs and should not use atropine eye drops on their children without the guidance of a doctor.

The doctor believes that the suspension of online sales of atropine eye drops is good news, which is conducive to standardizing the use of atropine eye drops. Suspending online sales and requiring prescriptions to purchase atropine eye drops is equivalent to strengthening the role of doctors in gatekeeping, which is conducive to monitoring the effects of medication, standardizing the diagnosis and treatment process of myopia in adolescents, and also meets the requirements of full-course management.

Source: Science and Technology Daily