Reading, sewing, your smartphone — these activities and others turn out to be harder as your near vision declines in middle age. This condition, called press myopia, happens to all of us, and is well resolved by wearing over-the-counter reading glasses or prescription glasses or contact lenses.
Now another choice – prescription eye drops – is offered to show you how to improve blurred near vision. Here's what you might want to learn about presbyopia and latest medications.
Why can we lose perspective?
Our ability to concentrate on near or far objects is a function of the lens of the attention. The lens is soft and versatile, which allows it to vary shape and bend light in specific ways onto the retina – the tissue in the back of the attention that sends light signals to the brain.
Eye drops for near vision
The FDA has recently approved several prescription eye medications that help temporarily correct presbyopia. Eye drops include pilocarpine hydrochloride (Vioti, Kalosi) and asclidine (VIZZ).
Medicines solve the issue of the hard lens of the attention by stimulating other parts of the attention to assist focus light more clearly. “Eye drops tighten the iris sphincter muscle, so the pupil in the center of the eye shrinks, reducing light,” says Dr. Gardner.
Use of eye drops
Eye drops have a versatile dosing schedule. You can use them each day or each time you are feeling like going glass-free. “It's purely for convenience,” says Dr. Gardner. “You can use them for several days in a row and then go back to your glasses, or just use eye drops on special occasions. There's no problem switching back and forth.”
Pilocarpine eye drops are applied a few times a day and last as long as eight hours, depending on the product prescribed by the doctor. Aceclidine drops are applied just once a day and last for about 10 hours.
It takes about half-hour for the attention drops to take effect.
What is the catch?
Like any medication, presbyopia eye drops have potential negative effects. These may include blurred vision, headaches, and blurred vision. “Because the pupil gets smaller and not as much light enters the eye, things can appear dim or dark,” says Dr. Gardner. “So in very dark environments, such as driving at night, you may have more difficulty navigating.”
In rare cases, people taking pilocarpine have experienced a retinal tear or detachment, which may result in blindness. No retinal tears or detachments were reported in a study (as yet unpublished) of aceclidine eye drops for presbyopia. However, the drug's label warns of this risk.
Reservations
Eye drops to enhance near vision usually are not for everybody. If you may have a powerful family history of retinal detachment, in the event you're very nearsighted, or if you may have an inflamed iris (a condition called iritis), Dr. Gardner says.
Another thing to take into consideration is price. Eye drops are considered cosmetic and usually are not covered by insurance. Prices range from $80 for a month's supply.
But in the event you want convenience, and in case your budget allows, you may want to think about trying eye drops. “They won't permanently restore your near vision, but they can reduce your dependence on reading glasses while you're taking these medications,” says Dr. Gardner.
Photo: © Kanika Payson/Getty Images