Weekend-only use of atropine as effective as daily use in study

ST. LOUIS — Treating amblyopia with atropine drops for 2 days a week was as effective as daily atropine drops, according to a study.

Oscar Cruz, MD, of St. Louis University, one of the investigators, said this study adds to an earlier one showing similar efficacy between atropine drops and the more conventional treatment of patching the amblyopic eye. The Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, which conducted this and previous studies, also found that patching for only 2 hours a day could be as effective as patching for 6 hours.

In this latest study, 168 children under the age of 7 years with moderate amblyopia were randomly assigned to receive either weekend or daily atropine. Patients in both groups showed substantial improvement in the eye with amblyopia, according to a press release from St. Louis University. After 4 months, 72% of children in the weekend group and 73% of patients in the daily group could read at least 2 more lines on the standard eye chart with the affected eye.

The new study findings will further enable physicians to make better treatment decisions, Dr. Cruz said in the press release.

The full study is published in the November issue of Ophthalmology.