New Eye Drop Vuity to eliminate need for reading glasses

[harllee]

Just read in the AARP Bulletin that there is a new eye drop called Vuity that helps people with presbyopia (farsightedness) read without reading glasses. I have to use reading glasses more and more so I am interested in this. I have placed a call into my eye doctor about it. In the meantime has anyone tried it? I would LOVE to get rid of my reading glasses.

 

[sengsational]

AbbVie bought Allergan, so apparently they think Vuity is going to be big.

The mechanism of action is to reduce the pupil size. We all know that if we squint (reduce the pupil size by blocking it with the eye lids) it can bring things into focus. I wonder why it's taken so long for a company to find a compound that makes the pupil smaller. I wonder how long the effect lasts. I wonder what the side effects are. I don't need reading glasses. My close-up vision ain't what it used to be, but I don't yet have the "arms aren't long enough" problem yet

 

[RunningBum]

Interesting! Cost looks to be about $86 for a 2.5ml bottle, which I think should last you a month at 1 drop/day/eye, but I see different estimates for that. And a drop apparently lasts about 8-10 hours so it's not an all day solution. You'd need to keep your reading glasses, unless you are allowed a 2nd drop in a day, which adds to the cost.

I'll be scheduling an eye dr appt soon and will ask about it too, but I'm not making plans to dump the glasses yet. My long vision isn't perfect either, driving at night especially, so I'm kind of in the mode of using glasses all the time unless I'm running, skiing, or doing something else active. I could cut my usage quite a bit but would still need them handy.

 

[Sarah S]

Apparently it is once a day dosing. The trial was in 40-55 year olds. I think that is a young age group and wonder if it will help people with more advanced presbyopia? Will they still need glasses but perhaps less strong? It will be interesting to hear reports

 

[cbo111]

So is there a disclaimer on the bottle to avoid driving at night? With constricted pupils, it would seem problematic when doing things in the dark, like stumbling to the bathroom at 3:00am.

 

[OldShooter]

A constricted pupil is exactly the same as stopping down a camera lens. It increases depth of field, so will crispen up images compared to what a normally dilated pupil would give you. the downside is basically being somewhat in the dark all day and even more in the dark at night. It seems close to quackery to me, but the FDA did not ask me.

 

[Sarah S]

So is there a disclaimer on the bottle to avoid driving at night.

There is a caution yes

 

[gattara]

I am near-sighted so don’t need this, but I actually have a strange phobia of eye drops. Lord help me when I have cataract surgery in the decades to come and need to deal with drops!

 

[Dtail]

I will just stick to my Lumify drops which erases all redness within 1-2 minutes.

 

[RunningBum]

I guess if you take the drops in the morning they'll wear off by night time and driving won't be an issue, unless you live pretty far north in the winter.

 

[disneysteve]

I wonder why it's taken so long for a company to find a compound that makes the pupil smaller.

It didn't take long. This isn't a new drug. Vuity is pilocarpine, a drug that has been in use for decades. It's used to treat glaucoma among other things. Apparently they just now got the indication to use it for one of it's beneficial side effects. That's happened with other meds over the years.

 

[friar1610]

It didn't take long. This isn't a new drug. Vuity is pilocarpine, a drug that has been in use for decades. It's used to treat glaucoma among other things. Apparently they just now got the indication to use it for one of it's beneficial side effects. That's happened with other meds over the years.

I was on that for a very short while years ago (for glaucoma). I hated it! Gave me really bad headaches until my system adjusted to it. I recall one time I took the drops and 20 minutes later it was if a shaded window blind was pulled down over my eyes. Impossible to drive safely at night. I’ll take reading glasses any day.

 

[tb001]

I just got an Rx from my eye dr, but haven’t gotten it yet. It’s all out of pocket. The optometrist said 4-5hrs of good vision and then a decline from there. She mentioned the shading effect as a potential downside. She likened it to wearing sunglasses inside. I figured I would try it, since most of the time I would care it’s for very task based things.

She said there are extended release formulations coming which should last longer.

 

[Jerry1]

I wear computer glasses. They are progressive lenses so I can read, see the keyboard and see the screen. Also have a blue light filter. Pretty sure it would be hard to replicate that with drops.

 

[PatrickA5]

I can see pretty well close up if I don't have my contacts in. Problem is, I have to wear my contacts from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I'm pretty much blind without them. I always wear a shirt with a pocket so I have a place to put my reading glasses. I'm not sure what these drops would do to my distance vision with my contacts in.

 

[harllee]

I just got an Rx from my eye dr, but haven’t gotten it yet. It’s all out of pocket. The optometrist said 4-5hrs of good vision and then a decline from there. She mentioned the shading effect as a potential downside. She likened it to wearing sunglasses inside. I figured I would try it, since most of the time I would care it’s for very task based things.

She said there are extended release formulations coming which should last longer.

Could you tell us the cost? Please let us know how it works for you

 

[donheff]

I would worry about the long term impact of using drugs to reduce my pupil size, Yikes!

 

[Teacher Terry]

For me the less drugs the better so I will keep my reading glasses. Running said it’s $86 a bottle.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I will just stick to my Lumify drops which erases all redness within 1-2 minutes.

That's nice and all, but do they do anything for reading?

 

[JRon]

Reading glasses and bifocals aren’t that bad - especially compared to $86 per month.

 

[harllee]

It does look pretty expensive BUT I hate having to have reading glasses with me at all times. I have gotten to the point I can't read anything at all without my glasses. What a pain.

 

[sweetana3]

I just do not understand all this. I got my cataracts removed and some astigmatism fixed and vision is great for long distance. I like to read and do close work so I had my glasses made with clear on top and two versions of correction with magnification on the bottom.

I would do anything to not have to use drugs. It is easier for me to have my glasses on all the time than to find and store the reading glasses. My husband deals with reading glasses and guess who has to read the menus and fine print when we are out?

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

My ophthalmologist persuaded me to get prescription reading glasses...so both a bit of enlargement and a proper lens correction. I love them and no headaches from long use.

Like several other have stated, I don't relish the idea of long term use of another medication and will stick with my on/off reading glasses.

-BB

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have a pair of readers in every room, my purse and car.

 

[Mulligan]

Reading glasses and bifocals aren’t that bad - especially compared to $86 per month.

I read about it and decided not to. Even if it worked on me it would probably would wear off at the wrong time and I wouldnt have any readers with me. Now I know to keep them. I cant read without readers anymore but I see distance pretty good still. The funny thing is I can make a little pinhole opening between my index finger and thumb and read fine looking through it without any readers. Of course one looks like an idiot doing that so I use my readers.