Improved efficacy of 0.01% atropine combined with diffusion optics technology lenses for myopia control in a real-world setting in Northern China.

PURPOSE: To compare myopia progression among children wearing Diffusion Optics Technology (DOT) lenses, DOT lenses combined with 0.01% atropine (DOTA), and single-vision spectacle (SVS) lenses in a real-world clinical setting in northern China.

METHODS

In this non-randomized controlled clinical study, 510 myopic children were enrolled. Participants were assigned to the DOTA, DOT, or SVS groups based on patient and guardian preference. Parameters from the right eye were analyzed for all groups. Axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) were measured at baseline and at the 12-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Data from 457 subjects were analyzed. After 12 months, the mean AL change was 0.08 ± 0.20 mm in the DOTA group, 0.12 ± 0.19 mm in the DOT group, and 0.41 ± 0.24 mm in the SVS group (P < 0.05). The median SER change (interquartile range) was 0.00 D (-0.37 to 0.00) for DOTA, 0.00 D (-0.38 to -0.12) for DOT, and -0.76 D (-1.19 to -0.41) for SVS (P < 0.05). Compared with the SVS group, both the DOTA and DOT groups exhibited significantly less AL elongation and less myopic shift in SER (both P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the two intervention groups (P > 0.05). However, in the low myopia subgroup (SER: -2.00 to -0.50 D), DOTA resulted in less AL elongation than DOT (P < 0.05). Notably, 60.14% of subjects in the DOTA group and 53.70% in the DOT group showed a reduction in AL after 12 months of lens wear, rather than an increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Both DOTA and DOT lenses effectively control myopia progression. The DOTA group demonstrated superior efficacy in the low myopia subgroup and was associated with a higher proportion of eyes exhibiting axial shortening.