Japanese researchers from the Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, reported Bunazosin hydrochloride (BH), a commercial glaucoma eye drop that increases blood circulation in the eye, suppressed myopia progression in a murine model.

The team’s open access paper, published in the ARVO journal IOVS, detailed how -30D lenses were used for three weeks to induce myopia in three-week-old mice. Refractive error, axial length and choroidal thickness were evaluated at three and six weeks of age using an infrared photorefractor and spectral domain OCT.

Compared with controls, the BH eye drops suppressed the myopic shift of refractive error, axial elongation and choroidal and scleral thinning and increased choroidal blood perfusion (ChBP), said the team. “The suppressive effect of BH eye drops was dose-dependent and higher than that of other glaucoma eye drops and alpha1 blockers. These results demonstrate the potential of BH eye drops in the treatment of myopia and support further investigation of their efficacy in humans.”