By: ROCIO C. PASION, O.D.
What’s new in eye treatments for 2022?
Here’s some of the latest on aging eyes and near sightedness in children.
Vuity eyedrops available for presbyopia treatment
VUITY (Allergan-pilocarpine HCL ophthalmic solution 1.25 %) is the first presbyopia-correcting eye drop.
What is presbyopia? Presbyopia is age induced blurry vision. It occurs when the lens of the eye becomes less flexible with age. As the lens hardens, it can no longer change shape allowing the individual to focus. This ultimately causing blurriness when viewing images close up. It is estimated that 1.8 billion people world-wide are presbyopic with nearly 128 million of those people residing in the U.S. making it a very common condition. The condition typically starts around 32-42 years of age and until now was managed by corrective lenses or surgical intervention
Vuity is an eyedrop that is used to lessen the need of corrective lenses in presbyopic patients. These drops will not completely eliminate the need for glasses for moderate to advanced presbyopes (ages 47 and up), but will improve vision and reduce the need for corrective lenses.
Vuity works by contracting the pupil (miosis). Pupil contraction is the eye’s natural ability to focus, allowing for better vision at near. Vuity takes effect in 15 minutes and lasts 6 hours. Vuity drops only need to be administered once a day and have a good safety profile making them a great option to improve near and intermediate vision for adults with age related blurry near vision. The most common side effects are headache and dry eyes which are reversible when use is discontinued.
Study* shows that MiSight contact lens lessens the progression of near sightedness in children
Myopia or “near sightedness” is on the rise as people are spending more time indoors engaging in “near work” on electronic devices.
Children who are diagnosed with myopia can expect the condition to progress. This is especially true of children who are diagnosed before the age twelve. However, new studies are showing that myopia can also progress in adults.
MiSight (Cooper Vision) are 1-day soft wear daily contact lenses. These contact lenses are indicated for slowing down the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes. A recent 7 year study showed that children who wore this contact lens did not experience progression of nearsightedness and were able to maintain this state of non-progression twelve months after treatment ceased.
This means that MiSight contact lenses are an excellent option for children with progressive near sightedness.
*Optometry and Vision Science
If you have any questions or are interested in these treatment innovations, contact Siepser Eyecare today for a consultation!