The effect of defocus incorporated multiple segment spectacles’ lenses combined with different concentrations atropine for myopia control

We aim to evaluate the myopia control effect of defocus incorporated multiple segments’ (DIMS) spectacle lens in combination with different concentrations of atropine (ATR). A retrospective cohort study was conducted and DIMS users were categorized according to ATR concentration: 55 DIMS alone, 55 DIMS-Low ATR (0.01%) and 50 DIMS-High ATR (0.125%) groups. All three myopia control methods were applied for one year. Primary outcomes measures were changes in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AXL). One-way ANOVA was utilized to compare the outcome differences among the three groups, and multiple linear regression was utilized to analyze the effects of age, sex, baseline SER and baseline AXL on myopia progression among the three groups. The cycloplegic SER progression was-0.30 ± 0.25 D, −0.17 ± 0.49 D and − 0.16 ± 0.14 D in DIMS, DIMS-Low ATR and DIMS-High ATR groups respectively. The DIMS group showed a significant higher cycloplegia SER progression (P = 0.003). The AXL elongation was 0.13 ± 0.08 mm, 0.06 ± 0.20 mm and 0.06 ± 0.14 mm in DIMS, DIMS-Low ATR and DIMS-High ATR groups respectively and AXL elongation was significantly higher in DIMS group (P = 0.011). The young age demonstrated positive correlation to the higher cycloplegia SER progression in all groups (all P < 0.05). The young age is also correlated to higher AXL elongation in the DIMS and DIMS-Low ATR groups (both P < 0.05). The myopia control effects of low- and high-concentration ATRs in DIMS users show no significant difference, while the addition of atropine in combination with DIMS spectacles had a greater effect on myopia control than DIMS spectacles alone.