What Will They Think of Next? Now There Are Eye Drops That Can Replace Reading Glasses
Americans can get a prescription for eye drops to improve age-related blurry vision
It’s happened somewhat gradually over the past few years, but I’ve reached the point where I need reading glasses to see tiny print such as ingredient labels or even restaurant menus. And just like the stereotypical old person, I often wander my house searching for my reading glasses, never quite knowing where they are even though I bought a pack of four.
Now I finally understand why older people always have such large text on their phones.
But here comes a solution that sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. You would expect doctors on Star Trek would have eye drops to improve eyesight. And now, it’s become a reality.
Vuity eye drops
The FDA approved Vuity, a once-a-day treatment that improves close-up vision in October. As of Thursday, December 16, 2021, Vuity is available for prescription in America.
“Most adults cope with presbyopia, or difficulty with near vision, as we age. Beginning around the age of 40, many find themselves using reading glasses, holding text further away, or even increasing the font size and lighting on screens to try to see more clearly,” Michael Severino, MD, vice chairman and president, AbbVie, said in a press release from October 2021. “We are proud to offer Vuity as a first-of-its-kind once-daily eye drop that we believe will change the way people and their eye doctors approach presbyopia. The FDA approval of Vuity exemplifies our continued pursuit of innovative new treatments that push the boundaries of what’s possible in eye care.”
128 million Americans need reading glasses
No matter how much you think you can escape getting older by doing things like eating healthy, exercising, and keeping your mind active, you can’t entirely avoid it.
One place this is obvious is your eyesight. As people age, the eye lens grows less flexible. To see something close up, the lens needs to change shape. But once you reach 45 and older, your ability to do this lessens. It’s called presbyopia, and it only gets worse the older you get. It’s estimated that 128 million Americans suffer from presbyopia.
As someone who has just begun to suffer from this, I can attest, it’s an annoyance. Especially with today’s reliance on devices, reading the small text on an iPhone can be a strain.
How does Vuity work?
It shrinks the size of the pupil. The constricted pupil lets in less light, which makes it easier to focus on closer objects without affecting long-distance vision.
The active ingredient in Vuity is pilocarpine, which is a long-used drug in ophthalmology. Pilocarpine is mainly used to treat glaucoma.
In the trials, one drop in each eye improved close-up vision for six hours. The drops worked for 10 hours on intermediate vision, such as what you need for computer work.
The benefit of Vuity
Aside from the convenience of not needing reading glasses, Vuity does not impair your long-distance vision. The problem with reading glasses, and the reason they are so often misplaced, is that they only correct close-up vision. When you aren’t reading, you need to take them off to see the world around you. But Vuity does not impair distance vision.
The researchers suggest that Vuity will work best for people with mild to moderate presbyopia. People with worse cases may not notice much improvement.
It won’t fix other vision problems
Vuity doesn’t work on near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or any other type of vision problem other than age-related.
And one warning, since the drops reduce the size of your pupil, it makes it harder to see in the dark. Night driving is not recommended when you take Vuity.
More options are on the way
Although Vuity is the first on the market, other eye drop products are currently in the works.
I can’t wait to give it a try so I can stop hunting the house for my reading glasses.
