Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Ophthalmol. Sep 12, 2026; 10(1): 121730
Published online Sep 12, 2026. doi: 10.5318/wjo.121730
Published online Sep 12, 2026. doi: 10.5318/wjo.121730
Efficacy of nightly 0.01% atropine in controlling myopia progression in Lebanese children: A 24-month retrospective cohort study
Adel J Abi Rached, Department of Ophthalmology, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Beirut 1100, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Carina Kasrine El Halabi, Michael J Dounia, Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Hospital, Beirut 1100, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Yehya Tlaiss, Anthony Saadeh, Department of Ophthalmology, Clémenceau Medical Center, Beirut 1100, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Author contributions: Abi Rached AJ conceptualized the study, designed the study, collected data, conducted statistical analysis, and drafted the manuscript; El Halabi CK, Tlaiss Y, Dounia MJ, and Saadeh A made critical revisions of the manuscript; El Halabi CK and Saadeh A supervised the study; Tlaiss Y performed statistical analysis and interpretation of results; El Halabi CK and Dounia MJ collected data; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Grammarly (Grammarly Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States) was used for language polishing and proofreading of certain sections of this manuscript. No AI tools were used to generate, fabricate, or substantially create scientific content, including data, analyses, results, or conclusions. All intellectual content and scientific contributions are entirely the work of the authors, who take full responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of this manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, approval No. USEK/IRB [U-S-0003259].
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardians, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment. Patient identifying information has been anonymized throughout this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.
Corresponding author: Anthony Saadeh, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Oph
Received: March 31, 2026
Revised: April 27, 2026
Accepted: June 23, 2026
Published online: September 12, 2026
Processing time: 163 Days and 10.8 Hours
Revised: April 27, 2026
Accepted: June 23, 2026
Published online: September 12, 2026
Processing time: 163 Days and 10.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This is the first study to evaluate nightly 0.01% atropine for myopia control in Lebanese children. Over 24 months atropine-treated eyes demonstrated statistically significantly slower myopic progression than spectacle-only controls at multiple timepoints. No adverse effects were recorded. These findings extend existing evidence to the underrepresented Middle Eastern region. They support low-dose atropine as a safe, accessible and effective option for pediatric myopia management in Lebanon.