Effect of atropine eye drops on thinning of the ocular choroid induced by retinal image defocus in adults with myopia (near-sightedness)

Myopia of any degree increases the risk of developing sight-threatening conditions such as glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy with risk increasing dramatically with progression to high myopia. Atropine eye drops are currently the most effective treatment for managing myopia progression, but the mode of action is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of atropine eye drops on choroidal thinning induced by hyperopic retinal defocus, using automated measures of choroidal thickness obtained with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). A secondary aim was to record the short-term effect of atropine on the resting thickness of the choroid.