Comparison of the cycloplegic effects between cyclopentolate andatropine in healthy beagles

Abstract

The cycloplegic drugs cyclopentolate and atropine are used for objective visual acuity tests and measuringocular refraction. We compared the effects of cyclopentolate with atropine in healthy beagles. Eye refractivepower was measured using retinoscopy. The maximum difference in eye refractive power before and after eachinstill was 0.85 ± 0.49 D in the cyclopentolate group and 0.65 ± 0.28 D in the atropine group, without significance.The time until maximum effect in the cyclopentolate group was 1.52 ± 1.50 h and in the atropine group wassignificantly prolonged at 3.58 ± 2.75 h. The time taken for eye refractive power to return to pre-applicationlevels in the cyclopentolate group was 12.00 ± 6.00 h and, in the atropine group was 25.00 ± 14.90 h, which issignificantly prolonged in comparison. In conclusion, for situations that require achieving maximal cycloplegiceffects in shorter time-periods and a shorter total period of cycloplegic effect, cyclopentolate eye drops arerecommended when testing ocular refraction in healthy beagles.