Atropine for Occlusion

What do the drops do?

The purpose of the drops is to blur the good eye so that the eye with poor vision is forced to ‘work’ harder.

The pupil will be enlarged and your child may mention that things look blurred. It may be worth explaining this to the teachers at school.

Side-effects of the drops

Your child’s eyes may be very sensitive to bright light – wearing a cap or sunglasses may help to reduce their symptoms

The other side-effects are rare

  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Restlessness or hyperactivity
  • Flushing and dry skin

If severe pain, nausea and vomiting occur, please go to your nearest hospital Accident and Emergency and contact the Children’s Eyes Team

9 Year Old With Atropine

9 year old with anisometropic amblyopia (lazy eye in one eye) had glasses and improved with atropine drops in the right eye. She did very well at school despite the drops. This shows that the drops can be used for children at school without the need for patching. Her vision was very poor in the bad eye as she could only read the first 2 letters of the chart. Now she can read almost all the chart.

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