Myopia (nearsightedness) is the most common eye disorder. Only second to age, it is the main risk factor for major degenerative eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinal detachment. Their risk increases with the degree of myopia. Hence, prevention of myopia and slowing its progression is of high relevance. Almost all clinical studies, including two large randomised clinical trials (RCT) were performed in Asia with Asian study participants. The results indicate that atropine eye drops can attenuate myopic progression in children, even in low concentrations thus minimizing unwanted side effects. However, the cumulative evidence is yet not strong enough to recommend their unrestricted use, especially in a Non-Asian population. We therefore intend to set up an adequately powered RCT comparing atropine 0.02% eye drops with placebo to validate previous findings and to test whether this therapeutic concept holds its promise in a European population.

Myopia (nearsightedness) is the most common developmental eye disorder in the first decades of life. It is the biggest risk factor for sight threatening degenerative eye diseases later in life, second only to age. Its prevalence is increasing worldwide in pandemic dimensions affecting now > 80% in Asian and > 40% in Caucasian populations. Myopia is one of the five eye diseases identified as immediate priorities by the WHO's global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness. It usually develops during primary school and its onset and progression are related to environmental factors such as near work and lack of day light exposure, to a lesser degree to genetic factors. Therefore, retardation of myopia progression is a major therapeutic goal. Clinical trials from Asia have shown that 0.01% atropine eye drops can attenuate progression of myopia while inducing only little side effects such as light sensitivity and reduced accommodation. Subsequent data also from Asia have suggested that a concentration of 0.05% atropine is slightly more effective with a still acceptable level of adverse effects. However, it is unclear whether this therapy is equally and sufficiently efficacious in a Caucasian population. It is also unclear which concentration of atropine represents the best compromise between efficacy and safety. Our own uncontrolled pilot data suggest that 0.01% delays progression by about 50% with negligible side effects, but that 0.05% induces a pupil dilation of > 3 mm, which is considered unacceptable. Due to the increasing prevalence also in Europe and an increasing demand from parents for means to retard myopia progression, the trial is the first European large scale randomized clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of 0.01% and 0.02% atropine eye drops in comparison to placebo drops. Such a trial is mandatory to substantiate the increasing off-label prescriptions of low-dose atropine in children and to develop clinical guidelines.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female patients aged 8 to 12 years (up to the day before the 13th birthday)
2. Myopia of -1 D to -6 D with reported or documented annual progression ≥ 0.5 D of myopia
3. Written informed consent obtained from patient (if applicable) and parents or legal guardians according to international guidelines and local laws
4. Ability to understand the nature of the trial and the trial related procedures and to comply with them

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Asian or African origin
2. Abnormal binocularity
3. Strabismus
4. Astigmatism >1.5 D
5. Anisometropia >1.5 D
6. History of amblyopia
7. Corrected visual acuity in any eye <0.63
8. Any acquired or developmental organic eye disease
9. Premature birth
10. Any known systemic metabolic disease or chromosomal anomaly
11. Previous use of any kind of contact lenses
12. Previous use of atropine eye drops
13. Epilepsy
14. Known hypersensitivity to the active substances or any of the excipients
15. Participation in any other interventional clinical trial within the last 30 days before the start of this trial
16. Simultaneous participation in other interventional trials which could interfere with this trial; simultaneous participation in registries and diagnostic trials is allowed
17. Contraindications according to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC): Increased intraocular pressure (primary forms of glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma), chronic rhinitis sicca
18. Caution and pediatric counselling shall be assured if any of the following conditions are present according to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC): Cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmia, coronary stenosis, hyperthyroidism, stomach or bowel stenosis, bowel paralysis, megacolon, muscle weakness, lung edema, hypersensitivity to atropine, spastic paralysis
19. Parents or children with poor understanding of the German language
20. Person who is in a relationship of dependence/employment with the sponsor or the investigator

Code labelled eye drop containers Blinded investigators