Myopia is the most common
refractive error and is now endemic over the entire industrial world, particularly in Asia. High
myopia is one of the major causes of
blindness in the world. Slowing the progress of
myopia is possible, the most effective treatment being
atropine ophthalmic drops, given in a dose-dependent fashion. Although high-dose
atropine (1% and 0.5%) was found to be highly effective in slowing
myopia progression, low-dose
atropine (0.01%) was found to have the lowest rebound effect (accelerated
myopia progression
after treatment cessation) and was therefore, the most effective treatment in the long term. Moderately effective treatments include
pirenzepine drops,
cyclopentolate drops, orthokeratology,
contact lenses which are designed to reduce the peripheral hyperopic blur and distance-center soft multifocal
contact lenses. Less effective treatments include multifocal spectacle
lenses, bifocal spectacle
lenses, bifocal
soft contact lenses and outdoor activity in daylight. Visual
therapy,
biofeedback, full-spectacle correction, under-correction,
spectacles designed to reduce the peripheral hyperopic blur, single-vision rigid gas-permeable
contact lenses, single-vision
soft contact lenses,
tropicamide drops and
timolol drops were all found to be ineffective.