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Cycloplegic refraction in children: Single-dose-atropinization versus three-day-atropinization

Documenta Ophthalmologica volume 80, pages 353–362 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

A new scheme for refractive measurements under atropine cycloplegia was tested in 90 strabismic children aged two to several years. Refraction was determined by an autorefractor (CANON R 10) 90 minutes after application of two drops of atropine (0.5% atropine children <21/2 years; 1.0% atropine children >21/2 years) and compared with the results after 3 days of receiving 1 atropine eyedrop 3 times daily. In 86.5% the spherical equivalents differ not more than 1.0 diopter (p = 0.05); the correlation was 0.99. Astigmatic corrections were in agreement in 95.5%, the axis of cylinders in 93.0% (p = 0.05); the correlations were 0.95 and 0.97. The residual accommodation 90 minutes after 2 drops of atropine was not more than 1 diopter in all children. The additional cycloplegic effect of the three-day-atropinization was only 0.5 diopters. This new type of application allows a more rapid and less toxic assessment of refraction than the usual three-day-atropinization.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Marienhospital, Aachen, Germany

    Gerd Auffarth MD & Wilfried Hunold

Authors
  1. Gerd Auffarth MD
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  2. Wilfried Hunold
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Auffarth, G., Hunold, W. Cycloplegic refraction in children: Single-dose-atropinization versus three-day-atropinization. Doc Ophthalmol 80, 353–362 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00154384

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00154384

Key words

  • Accommodation
  • atropine
  • cycloplegia
  • refraction in children
  • strabism