Eye Gel Slows Decline In Kids' Vision

Drops of gel in the eyes can slow the rate of vision loss for nearsighted children, according to a new study.

Myopia, the technical term for nearsightedness, is when people can see close-up objects well but not those in the distance. It often gets worse over time, researchers from the Dean McGee Eye Institute said in a news release.

But when children are treated daily with a medication called pirenzepine, the rate of decline seems to slow. The conclusion was draw from a study of 84 children over two years.

Fifty-three of the kids got active gel, while 31 were treated with a placebo.

Vision got worse for both groups, but it had only gotten worse by .58 diopters in those who got the medicine. The placebo patients got an average of .99 diopters worse.

New glasses are generally prescribed when myopia worsens by at least .75 diopters, a news release said. That means 37 percent of children using pirenzepine needed new lenses during the study, compared to 68 percent of the placebo group.

The study was led by Dr. R. Michael Stiatkowski of Dean McGee Eye Institute and the University of Oklahoma.