{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T18:30:08Z","timestamp":1792693808560,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Low-dose atropine (0.01%) eye drops have emerged as a proposed intervention to slow myopic progression in children, but their short-term efficacy remains uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of recent randomized, placebo-controlled trials to assess the efficacy and safety of 0.01% atropine in preventing myopia progression.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library (through October 2024) identified double-blind randomized trials published from 2017 to 2024 that compared atropine 0.01% with placebo in children. Primary outcomes were the changes in refractive error (spherical equivalent) and axial length over at least 1 year. Secondary outcomes included treatment-related adverse events (e.g., photophobia). Data were extracted, pooled using random-effects models, and heterogeneity was assessed (I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n statistic).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Nine trials (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 1,091) met inclusion. Spherical equivalent refraction (SER): MD +0.14 D\/year (95% CI +0.04 to +0.24,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.01; I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 64%). Axial length: MD \u22120.05 mm\/year (95% CI \u22120.08 to \u22120.01,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.01; I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 30%). Photophobia: RR 1.17 (95% CI 0.43\u20133.20,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.69; I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 15%).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n At 12 months, 0.01% atropine yields small but statistically significant reductions in the progression of spherical-equivalent refraction and axial elongation, with no statistically significant increase in photophobia versus placebo, although absolute photophobia rates were higher in the atropine group (9.8% vs. 5.9%). Effects are modest and heterogeneous, and the 95% prediction intervals include the null, supporting the need for larger, longer-term trials to define the durability and clinical relevance of these findings.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Systematic Review Registration<\/jats:title>\n \n https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/<\/jats:ext-link>\n , identifier CRD42024583729.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1715033","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T05:25:23Z","timestamp":1769491523000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Low-dose atropine for myopia progression in children: a 2017\u20132024 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Luciano","family":"Magurno","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT), Facultad de Ciencias Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Austral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y T\u00e9cnicas (CONICET)","place":["Pilar\/Buenos Aires, Argentina"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maximiliano","family":"Lang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT), Facultad de Ciencias Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Austral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y T\u00e9cnicas (CONICET)","place":["Pilar\/Buenos Aires, Argentina"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martina","family":"Zapata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT), Facultad de Ciencias Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Austral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y T\u00e9cnicas (CONICET)","place":["Pilar\/Buenos Aires, Argentina"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan E.","family":"Gallo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT), Facultad de Ciencias Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Austral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y T\u00e9cnicas (CONICET)","place":["Pilar\/Buenos Aires, Argentina"]},{"name":"Departamento de Oftalmolog\u00eda, Hospital Universitario Austral","place":["Pilar\/Buenos Aires, Argentina"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1600-0420.2007.00884.x","article-title":"Unusual macular degeneration following breast cancer.","volume":"85","author":"Olsen","year":"2007","journal-title":"Acta Ophthalmol 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