If you hate reading glasses as much as the next guy, then this is great news for you. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved the very first and only kind of eye drop that is used to treat blurry and age-related ‘near vision.’
The eye drops, which is called Vuity, is an ophthalmic solution that is said to treat presbyopia, and is actually already available in pharmacies all over the country.
Presbyopia a condition that can be diagnosed after a simple and basic eye exam that’s done by either an ophthalmologist or even optometrist. This eye condition is said to be very common and progressive, affecting at least 128 million Americans, which equates to almost half the U.S. adult population.
As shared by senior vice president for the AbbVie company, Allergan, Jag Dosanjh shared, “We are pleased to be able to bring this first-of-its-kind treatment to market sooner than expected for the millions of Americans with presbyopia who many benefit from it.”
Meanwhile, Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, optometrist Dr. Selina McGee said, “Many Americans deal with presbyopia, which typically begins around age 40, by relying on reading glasses or resorting to work-arounds like zooming in on their digital devices to see up close. As an optometrist who also has presbyopia, I’m personally and professionally excited to try Vuity for myself, as well as offer it to my patients with age-related blurry near vision.”
Vuity is described as ‘an optimized formulation of pilocarpine, an established eye care therapeutic delivered with proprietary pHast technology, which allows the drop to rapidly adjust to the physiologic pH of the tear film. This was studied in simulated tear film, and the clinical significance is unknown. Vuity uses the eye’s own ability to reduce pupil size, improving near and intermediate vision while maintaining distance vision.’
The drops were just FDA approved last October, after the results were released from two important phase 3 clinical studies. These evaluated the safety, efficacy and tolerability of Vuity on 75 participants between the ages of 44 to 55 years old, all with presbyopia. They were placed randomly in two studies, one of which was a one-to-one ratio to either the Vuity drops or placebo.
According to one participant, Toni Wright, she explained “It has become almost impossible to see clearly up close unless I wear my readers. I’m so excited this has now become approved and available as a treatment.”
During the study, the participants were asked to administer one drop of Vuity or the placebo just once a day in both eyes.
Incredibly, both studies managed to meet their original endpoints with significantly proportioned statistics that showed how participants that were given Vuity managed to gain three lines. This is explained as ‘the ability to read three additional lines on a reading chart or more in mesopic (in low light), high contrast, binocular Distance Corrected Near Visual Acuity, without losing more than 1 line (5 letters) of Corrected Distance Visual Acuity at day 30, hour 3, versus placebo.’
The company said that amazingly, the new medicine drops manage to take effect in just around 15 minutes, where placing just one drop in each eye already gives the user sharper vision for at least six to ten hours. The company also explains that these drops work better in mild to intermediate cases, and tend to be less effective in people over the age of 65, since their eyes age too. Moreover, some patients also feel a temporary discomfort or inability to adjust their focus on objects that are near and far.
Thankfully, there were no serious adverse effects seen in patients that were given Vuity in either of the clinical studies. In fact, the company statement explained that the most common side effect, which were mild headaches and eye redness, only occurred at a frequency of less than 5%.
At the moment, Vuity is not normally covered by vision or health insurance. But the drops are not extremely priced, selling at around $76 to $86 a bottle, which is around a 30-day supply. Prices vary depending on the pharmacy price.
If you’d like to know whether you can use Vuity, consult with your doctor to find out if you could benefit from this. See more on their website too at www.vuity.com.
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