title: A randomized trial of atropine regimens for treatment of moderate amblyopia in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare daily atropine to weekend atropine as prescribed treatments for moderate amblyopia in children younger than 7 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized multicenter clinical trial (30 sites).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-eight children younger than 7 years with amblyopia in the range of 20/40 to 20/80 associated with strabismus, anisometropia, or both.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomization either to daily atropine or to weekend atropine for 4 months. Partial responders were continued on the randomized treatment until no further improvement was noted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Visual acuity (VA) in the amblyopic eye after 4 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The improvement in VA of the amblyopic eye from baseline to 4 months averaged 2.3 lines in each group. The VA of the amblyopic eye at study completion was either (1) at least 20/25 or (2) better than or equal to that of the sound eye in 39 children (47%) in the daily group and 45 children (53%) in the weekend group. The VA of the sound eye at the end of follow-up was reduced by 2 lines in one patient in each group. Stereoacuity outcomes were similar in the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weekend atropine provides an improvement in VA of a magnitude similar to that of the improvement provided by daily atropine in treating moderate amblyopia in children 3 to 7 years old. This article contains additional online-only material available at http://www.ophsource.com/periodicals/ophtha.
authors.affiliation: Jaeb Center for Health Research, 15310 Amberly Drive, Suite 350, Tampa, FL 33647, USA. rbeck@jaeb.org
authors.forename: Michael X
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Repka
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: Roy W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Raymond T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Kraker
authors.forename: Eileen E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.forename: Donald F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Hertle
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Graham E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Mitchell M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Scheiman
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Stager
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Wallace
mesh_terms: D000550:Amblyopia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001285:Atropine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009184:Mydriatics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009184:Mydriatics; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D001285:Atropine