Atropine eye drops show promise in preventing childhood myopia.

Eyedrops containing atropine, a substance used to dilate pupils, could delay or prevent nearsightedness in children, according to a new study. The research found that atropine limited eyeglass prescription changes and slowed the lengthening of the eye, which causes nearsightedness, better than a placebo. The lower 0.01% eyedrop solution was even better at slowing the progress of myopia than the stronger 0.02% solution. Nearsightedness usually starts in young children and gradually worsens into the teenage years before leveling off at some point.