If you’ve noticed you’re holding your phone farther away or reaching for reading glasses more often, you’re not alone. Presbyopia — the age-related loss of the eye’s ability to focus on near objects — is a normal part of aging for most people. At Metro Eye, a leading provider of eye care and comprehensive eye exams in Milwaukee, we often help patients explore new options for managing the effects of presbyopia.
Prescription eye drops are now an option for some patients who want temporary help with near vision without relying solely on corrective lenses. These drops work mainly by making the pupil smaller, which increases depth of focus and improves near vision. Most of them do this by stimulating the iris sphincter muscle, which controls pupil size. Some also have mild effects on the eye’s focusing system (the ciliary muscle), while others are designed to be more selective to mainly target the pupil. Depending on your prescription, eye health, and visual needs, these drops may or may not be a good option for you, so an eye exam and discussion with your eye doctor is important.
- Vuity, made by AbbVie/Allergan, works by stimulating both the iris sphincter muscle and, to some extent, the ciliary muscle. This helps improve near vision but can sometimes lead to side effects like headaches or mild dimming in low light.
- Qlosi, by Orasis Pharmaceuticals, also works through iris sphincter constriction but at a lower concentration, which may feel gentler for some patients.
- VIZZ, by LENZ Therapeutics, is designed to be more pupil-selective, primarily targeting the iris sphincter muscle to improve near vision while minimizing effects on the focusing (ciliary) system, with the goal of improving comfort and duration.
- Yuvezzi, made by Harrow, also works by reducing pupil size through iris sphincter activity to enhance near vision, though it is still newer and real-world experience is evolving.
Overall, presbyopia drops may be a helpful option for people who want more flexibility for daily tasks like reading, dining out, or traveling. They are not a replacement for reading glasses for everyone, but for the right patient they can be a useful addition to modern vision care.
If you’re interested in learning whether prescription eye drops are right for you, schedule an eye exam at Metro Eye in Milwaukee to discuss your options with an experienced optometrist.