Treatment of Near Vision Decline
Presbyopia can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. If you didn’t need glasses or contacts before presbyopia appeared, you can probably correct your eyesight by using reading glasses for close work. Over the counter reading glasses without a prescription may be sufficient. But check with your eye doctor to find out the right glasses for you. If you do buy reading glasses without a prescription, try out a few different pairs of varying strength (magnification) to make sure you get glasses that will help you read without straining.
If you already wear eyeglasses for other vision problems, you will probably need bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses. Bifocals correct for close-up and far vision. A line, which may or may not be visible, divides the lens into two parts. The bottom section of the lens focuses for near vision. The top section is to see distant objects. Trifocals have three lens sections to correct for close-up, mid-range and far vision. Progressive lenses correct vision like bifocals and trifocals, but instead of a line that divides each area, the focus changes gradually in the lens from top for distance vision to bottom for near vision. Your prescription may have to be changed over time as presbyopia gets worse.
Some people prefer to wear contact lenses rather than eyeglasses. There are two types of contact lenses that help presbyopia. Monovision contacts correct one eye for distance vision and the other for near vision. Many people need to adapt to monovision lenses and train their brain to see this way. You may find you lose your ability to judge an object’s distance or speed with monovision lenses due to potential loss of stereo vision. Multifocal contacts have several rings or zones set at different powers. With this design, you’re actually using both near and far vision at the same time. However, your brain will learn over time to select the right focus for what you want to see. A multifocal lens may make your vision less sharp than when using a monofocal lens.
Vuity Eye Drops: The First and Only Eye Drop for Presbyopia
In October 2021, the FDA approved Vuity eye drops (pilocarpine 1.25%) to treat presbyopia. This is the first medication that’s available to treat this condition. It contains a special version of pilocarpine, which is a common medication used for the treatment of glaucoma. It is not available over the counter (OTC) and only available with a prescription after seeing an eye doctor. No other medications have been approved or used to treat this condition.
How does Vuity work for treating presbyopia?
In short, Vuity works by making your pupils temporarily smaller so they can better focus on objects that are close to you. After Vuity is administered into the eyes, it usually begins to work within 15 minutes. It can continue working for up to 6 hours. However, it may take about a month for the medication to work at its best.
How is Vuity dosed?
Vuity eye drops are instilled into each eye once daily. If you use other eye medications in addition to Vuity, it’s recommended to separate doses by at least 5 minutes. You should also take out your contact lenses before using Vuity and to wait at least 10 minutes before reinserting them.
How effective is Vuity?
Combined data from two clinical trials — GEMINI 1 and GEMINI 2 — convinced the FDA to approve Vuity. In these two trials, 750 people with presbyopia between the ages of 40 and 55 were studied. Half of the participants received Vuity, and the other half received a placebo (no medication) eye drop. The studies found that Vuity significantly improved short-range vision compared to the placebo after 30 days of use. These effects were studied in low light conditions, or conditions that are about halfway between daylight brightness and darkness found at nighttime.
Importantly, the studies also found that Vuity had no impact on long-range vision.
What are the known side effects of Vuity?
What we know about Vuity’s potential risks and side effects comes from the clinical trials. No serious side effects occurred during these trials. But, as with all medications, there are a number of possible side effects.
The most common side effects found were headache and some eye redness.
Less common side effects that occurred in these trials included:
- Altered vision
- Blurry vision
- Eye irritation
- Eye pain
- Watery eyes
Find out if you are a candidate for Vuity Eyedrops, schedule an exam with us today at 800-527-3745 or request an appointment online.