Nightly eye drop could help keep kids out of glasses
By
Mallika Marshall, MD
/ CBS Boston
BOSTON – A recent study discovered that a nightly eye drop may keep kids out of glasses.
Atropine eye drops are often used to dilate the pupils before an eye exam but when given at a low concentration, the drug could prevent nearsightedness in kids, in other words, problems with distance vision.
Researchers in Hong Kong looked at 474 kids ages 4 to 9 without vision problems and found that those who used atropine eye drops were less likely to develop nearsightedness after two years.
Now researchers want to replicate the study on a larger scale and figure out whether the treatment simply delays vision loss or prevents it altogether.
Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.