The effect of 0.01% atropine on ocular axial elongation for myopia children: a meta-analysis

ObjectivesThis meta-analysis aimed to identify the therapeutic effect of 0.01% atropine with on ocular axial elongation for myopia children. MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases from inception to July 2021. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA version 14.0 and Review Manager version 5.3 softwares. We calculated the weighted mean differences(WMD) to analyze the change of ocular axial length (AL) between orthokeratology combined with 0.01% atropine (OKA) and orthokeratology (OA) alone. The Cochran s Q-statistic and I2 test were used to evaluate potential heterogeneity between studies. To evaluate the influence of single studies on the overall estimate, a sensitivity analysis was performed. We also performed sub group and meta-regression analyses to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity. We conducted Begger s funnel plots and Egger s linear regression tests to investigate publication bias. ResultsNine studies that met all inclusion criteria were included in this meta-analysis. A total of 191 children in OKA group and 196 children in OK group were assessed. The pooled summary WMD of AL change was -0.90(95%CI=-1.25[~]-0.55) with statistical significance(t=-5.03, p<0.01), which indicated there was obvious difference between OKA and OK in myopic children. Subgroup analysis also showed that OKA treatment resulted in significantly less axial elongation compared to OK treatment alone according to SER. We found no evidence for publication bias. ConclusionsOur meta-analysis indicates 0.01% atropine atropine is effective in slowing axial elongation in myopia children with orthokeratology.