Changes in choroidal thickness in myopic children with 0.01% atropine: Evidence from a 12-month follow-up.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes of low-dose atropine (0.01%) on the choroidal thickness (ChT) of young children with low myopia. METHODS: A total of 25 eyes of 25 low myopic children were included. All subjects were prescribed 0.01% atropine eye drops to be applied once per night before bedtime in involving eyes. The ChT and ocular biometry parameters were measured before and after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. The children were followed up for 12 months. RESULTS: At 3 months, the ChT under the fovea significantly increased (309.96±70.82 µm) in comparison with the baseline (297.92±66.31 µm, P<0.0001) and was continuous thickening till 12 months after treatments with 0.01% atropine. Similarly, the changes of ChT under the fovea significantly increased from baseline to 3 months in comparison with the baseline to 1 month after treatments (P<0.0001). There was a significant relationship between changes in subfoveal ChT and central cornea thickness (CCT, beta=-1.76, 95% confidence intervals: -3.49 to -0.04, P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Using low dose atropine eye drops significantly increased subfoveal ChT after 3 months in eyes of myopic children. In addition, the changes in subfoveal ChT may be associated with the changes of CCT.