J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2014 Apr;55(4):590-595.

Pharmacologic Effects of Atropine Penalization in Amblyopic Eyes

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. scheye@hosp.sch.ac.kr
  • 2Pureun Eye Clinic, Gwangju, Korea.
  • 3Seoul St. Mary's Eye Hospital, Suwon, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
To analyze the pharmacologic effect of atropine penalization in amblyopic eyes.
METHODS
Distant and near visual acuity, near point of accommodation (NPA), and pupil size were measured in the sound eye of 40 children with amblyopia before and after receiving atropine sulfate 1% solution. Amblyopic children were divided into 2 groups according to the time of follow-up visit: 4-days and 7-days after injection; the same tests were performed on all the scheduled follow-up visits. This study included a control group of 20 normal children who received the same test on the initial visit and the scheduled follow-up visits.
RESULTS
Visual acuity of the sound eye at distance showed greater decreases in children with 4-day follow-up visits compared with 7-day visits in the amblyopic group (p = 0.24). There was no significant difference in near visual acuity between the amblyopic group and the normal control group by follow-up interval (p = 0.98, p = 0.75). Near point of accommodation significantly increased in the 4-day visit group in both the amblyopic and the normal control groups (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively), Pupil size was significantly maintained in the 4-day visit, amblyopic group (p = 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
Atropine effectively decreased the vision of the sound eye in amblyopic children. However, to maintain the pharmacologic effect, two separate atropine instillations per week (on a weekday and the weekend) should be considered as a treatment for amblyopia.

Keyword

Amblyopia; Atropine penalization treatment; Weekend atropine

MeSH Terms

Amblyopia
Atropine*
Child
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Pupil
Visual Acuity
Atropine

Figure

  • Figure 1. A 6-years-old female child, after 7 days atropine instillation on right sound eye. Compared with left amblyopic eye (B), pupil of right sound eye (A) did not nearly dilate and showed an intact light reflex on light condition.

  • Figure 2. Change of visual acuity in amblyopic and normal children at distance (A), at near (B). Group 1 = 4-days fol-low-up, amblyopic children; Group 2 = 7-days follow-up, amblyopic children; Group 3 = 4-days follow-up, normal children; Group 4 = 7-days follow-up, normal children.

  • Figure 3. Change of NPA (A) and pupil size (B) in amblyopic and normal children. NPA = near point of accommodation; Group 1 = 4-days follow-up, amblyopic children; Group 2 = 7-days follow-up, amblyopic children; Group 3 = 4-days fol-low-up, normal children; Group 4 = 7-days follow-up, normal children. * Statistically significant difference between two groups.


Reference

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