A combined therapy using stimulating auricular acupoints enhances lower-level atropine eyedrops when used for myopia control in school-aged children evaluated by a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial

SummaryObjectiveThis study was designed to compare the reduction in myopia progression in patients treated with atropine eyedrops alone with patients treated with a combined treatment of atropine and stimulation of the auricular acupoints.MethodsThis study was a randomized single-blind clinical controlled trial. A total of 71 school-aged children with myopia, who fulfilled the eligibility criteria, were recruited. They were randomly assigned into three groups. These were 22 treated with the 0.25% atropine (0.25A) only, 23 treated with the 0.5% atropine (0.5A) only and 26 treated with 0.25% atropine together with stimulation of the auricular acupoints (0.25A+E). The differences in the post-treatment effects among these three groups were statistically assessed. The primary outcome parameter was myopia progression, which was defined as diopter change per year (D/Y) after cycloplegic refraction measurement.ResultsThe mean myopia progression of the 0.25A group was 0.38 ± 0.32 D/Y. No significant difference in mean myopia progression was found between the 0.5A (0.15 ± 0.15 D/Y) and 0.25A+E (0.21 ± 0.23 D/Y) groups. However, there was a markedly reduced myopia progression in the 0.25A+E group compared to the 0.25A group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistical difference among these three groups in axial length elongation (ALE) of eye during this stage of the investigation.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that there was efficacy in stimulating the auricular acupoints and this enhanced the action of 0.25% atropine as a means of myopia control. The result was an effect almost equal to that of 0.5% atropine alone. There is also a need that the ALE of the eye should be further investigated over a longer period using the combined therapy.