Letters to the Editor: The U.S. is lagging on approving a safe treatment for childhood eye disease
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To the editor: This article rightly calls childhood myopia a looming public health crisis (“A ‘tidal wave’ of severe eye disease is looming. It starts with childhood nearsightedness,” Nov. 5). I know because I’m seeing it in my practice every day.
Low-dose atropine drops are, as the article notes, commonly prescribed. Yet no atropine drop is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for myopia. American families rely on compounded versions that vary in strength and quality and that insurance, including Medicaid, doesn’t cover.
On Oct. 30, I attended the FDA advisory committee meeting on a standardized low-dose atropine already approved in Europe and the U.K. The panel debated data points for hours but barely discussed how eye doctors actually treat myopia. More than 1,000 ophthalmologists and optometrists have signed a petition urging approval. The panel took no vote, and the decision now rests with the FDA.
The clinical community has made up its mind. Every month of delay is another month American families go without an approved option their doctors are ready to prescribe. Our children deserve the same safe and standardized treatment that children globally already have.
Rahul Bhola, Irvine
This writer is the medical director of ophthalmology at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
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To the editor: As a retired optometrist, I was interested and impressed by the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the article regarding early onset of myopia in children.
Although the article mentioned atropine eyedrops and Stellest lenses, please allow me to emphasize the 20/20/20 rule of myopia, which is the simplest way to slow myopia progression and very effective.
“When doing near-focus work, every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break in which you focus on something 20 feet away.”
That’s it.
Although not a miracle treatment, this simple task will reduce eyestrain for adults and children and likely reduce the risks associated with high myopia.
Paul Lavin, San Diego
