What are Vuity eye drops?
Vuity eye drops are the first and only prescription eye drops that help improve age-related blurry vision up close, know as presbyopia. Presbyopia commonly affects most people beginning in their early to mid-forties making it more difficult to read and see things at near. Vuity is only available in the US, not in Canada. That being said, a lot of our patients have asked us questions about this new eye drop. So this is what we know so far.
How do Vuity eye drops work?
Vuity is a prescription eye drop containing 1.25% Pilocarpine. Pilocarpine has been used since the 1950’s as a drug to treat glaucoma (it lowers the eye pressure). To treat glaucoma it was used 4 times per day and at a higher concentration. Vuity is dosed once per day, at a lower concentration and in a different delivery vehicle (solution). Vuity works by reducing the size of your pupils. This causes what is called a “pinhole” effect which mimics the eyes natural ability of focus, improving near vision for 4-6 hours.
What are patients saying about Vuity eye drops?
Since Vuity is not available in Canada, we don’t have any direct patient feedback. However, I did find some posts from eye doctors in the US that have tried the drop personally.
“While driving to the office I noticed it was easier to see my smart watch and my phone. By the time I got to the office I was able to read the very fine print on the side of an eye drop bottle and there was no deterioration of my distance vision. I was easily able to see small print at near without glasses or contacts for the first time in forever. The effect lasted about 5 hours” The eye doctor went on to say……..”There was a noticeable dimming of the indoor space. I did not notice it outside but once in the office and especially in the exam room it was like someone turned down the lights by 10 – 15%”
Who are the best candidates for Vuity eye drops?
Vuity is approved by the FDA for patients between the ages of 40 and 55. It seems to work best for patients with a distance eye glass prescription of between +1.00 and -4.00 D. Patients eyes must be healthy and free of any eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disease (including macular degeneration).
Side effects and other considerations.
In the clinical trial, >5% of patients reported headache and eye redness. 1-5% of patients reported blurred vision, eye pain and watery eyes. Patients taking Vuity are advised to be cautious when driving at night and doing hazardous activities in poor illumination. Rare cases of retinal detachment have been reported in patients using other miotics, so patients using Vuity are advised to seek immediate medical care if they experience sudden onset of vision loss.
Vuity eye drops are manufactured and distributed by Allergan – Abbvie
We will update this post when Vuity eye drops are approved by Health Canada and available at Abbey Eye Care.
