YOU NO LONGER NEED GLASSES??

 

A new eye drop hit the shelves last week. It is called Vuity and it is FDA-approved for Presbyopia. Note this is not for ALL eye (Refractive) conditions, but specifically, age-related blurring vision due to your aging natural lenses.  

If you are 40 and over you must have heard the term presbyopia mentioned by your eye doctor (Optometrist and Ophthalmologist). This is a natural aging of the eyes when it becomes difficult for the person to focus on near objects. So reading your favorite book, menus in restaurants becomes a challenge. Depending on how old you are even working on your computer requires some help.

So how does this eye drop work?

what are its side effects?

Should you throw away your eyeglasses?

 Vuity works by acting on the pupils, the pupils are the black center (hole) in your eyes that allow light into the eyes. Reducing the pupil size increases the depth of focus and your vision is improved temporarily for the duration of action of the eye drops. The eye drops start to act 15 minutes after putting them in and last for 6 to 10 hours.

Vuity side effects are headaches and red eyes, for now, long-term side effects are considered to be tolerable.

As an optometrist, my take on this new eye drop is that it's another tool in our arsenal for managing presbyopia. 

My professional advice would be: do not throw your glasses out yet. These eye drops are NOT  for everyone. Your eye doctor will advise you by factoring in :

• Your age,
• Occupation, 
• Ocular history,
• Medical history 
• Current eye medications if you are using any
• Hobbies
• Allergies. 

If it causes red eyes, you certainly do not want to apply them when you go out on a date to read the menu, in that situation, your old pair of glasses will work or you can wear contact lenses.

You certainly do not want to walk around the office with your eyes red, so you may opt for your glasses or contact lenses in the office

Over 1.8 billion people around the world are presbyopes and require some form of reading glasses. In the clinical trial, 750 participants tested the drops, and "a statistically significant proportion" was able to read three or more additional lines on the reading chart, Allergan said.

In the United States where the trials took place, there are about 128 million people with presbyopia. So should we throw out our eyeglasses? Or is this Big pharma doing what they do best.

Unfortunately, this eye drop is ONLY for: 

Mild to intermediate presbyopia,

Should not be used when driving at night or doing activities in low-light conditions

The eye drops work best in ages 40-55 and are less effective over 65

And a 30-day supply costs 80 USD