Hospital-prepared low-dose atropine eye drops for myopia progression control using atropine sulfate injection diluted in normal saline and lubricants

Abstract

Objective: As low-dose atropine eye-drops for myopia progression control prepared in-house by diluting the commercial 0.1% atropine eye-drop with sterile water or normal saline has been a common practice whereas atropine injection is readily available and could be a more feasible alternative, this study aimed to assess the properties of the in-house low-dose atropine eye-drops prepared by diluting the atropine injection in two solvents and tested in two temperature conditions. Results: The 0.01% atropine eye-drops contains no bacteria, fungi, or particulate matter. The levels of atropine sulfate on all samples were comparable to the freshly prepared samples at the 12th week, regardless of the solvents used or storage conditions. The low-dose atropine eye-drops prepared from readily available atropine sulfate injection at healthcare facilities could be an alternative to commercial products.