(WJW) — A new prescription eye drop that could allow many to put down their readers is now on the market.
Vuity, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October, was developed to treat presbyopia, or age-related blurry near vision, according to a release from biopharmaceutical company AbbVie.
According to the release, presbyopia affects most adults after age 40 — nearly 128 million Americans — making seeing or reading up close more challenging.
The drops are meant to be used daily and start to work in about 15 minutes. The effects last up to six hours.
The drops use the eye’s ability to reduce pupil size, which improves near vision without affecting distance vision.
“Most adults cope with presbyopia, or difficulty with near vision, as we age. Beginning around the age of 40, many find themselves using reading glasses, holding text further away, or even increasing the font size and lighting on screens to try to see more clearly,” said Dr. Michael Severino, AbbVie vice chairman and president.
According to an October release from AbbVie, the clinical trial involved 750 people between the ages of 40 and 55. A “statistically significant proportion” of those treated with the drops gained the ability to read three additional lines on a reading charge.
The most common side effects, according to the release, are headache and eye redness.