Special eye drops administered twice a day could improve vision in people with a common, age-related eye condition, a study suggests.
The treatment could provide a safe and effective alternative for patients who “seek freedom from the inconvenience” of wearing glasses, experts said.
Presbyopia, a form of long-sightedness, is when the eye finds it harder to focus on things up close.
It happens as the lens of the eye becomes less flexible due to age, and is common among people in their 40s and older.
It is usually possible to correct presbyopia with reading glasses, and while there are also surgical options to fully correct the condition, they are not typically available on the NHS.
Experts in Argentina explored the use of special eye drops as an option for people with the condition.
The drops comprise pilocarpine, a drug that constricts the pupils and contracts the muscle that controls the shape of the eye’s lens to enable focus on objects at different distances; and diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces inflammation.
The study included 766 people who used the drops twice a day, usually upon waking and around six hours later.
The group was divided into three, which each receiving different formulations of the drops.
Each formulation had a fixed dose of diclofenac, but the concentration of pilocarpine varied from 1%, 2% and 3%.
Dr Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Centre for Advanced Research for Presbyopia in Buenos Aires, said: “We conducted this research due to the significant unmet medical need in presbyopia management.
“Current solutions such as reading glasses or surgical interventions have limitations, including inconvenience, social discomfort, and potential risks or complications.
“There is a group of presbyopia patients who have limited options besides spectacles, and who are not candidates for surgery; these are our primary focus of interest.”
Researchers found that after one hour after the drops were administered, patients showed an average improvement of 3.45 Jaeger lines.
In the 148 patients given the 1% pilocarpine drops, almost all were able to read two or more extra lines on the chart.
In the 2% group, some 69% of the 248 patients were able to read three or more extra lines, and in the 3% group, some 84% of 370 patients could read three or more extra lines.
Dr Benozzi, the daughter of the late Dr Jorge Benozzi – who developed the drops, added: “Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations.”
The improvement in vision was sustained for up to two years, researchers said, with the most common side effects being temporary dim vision, irritation when the drops were administered and headaches.
The findings, presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Denmark, suggest the therapy “offers a safe, effective, and well-tolerated alternative to traditional presbyopia management”, according to Dr Benozzi.
“It significantly reduces dependence on reading glasses, providing a convenient, non-invasive option for patients, although these eye drops may not eliminate the need for glasses in all individuals,” she added.
“Importantly, this treatment is not intended to replace surgical interventions, but rather to serve as a valuable solution for patients who need safe, effective, and personalised alternatives and seek freedom from the inconvenience of eyewear.”
However, experts suggest more research is needed before this treatment is recommended widely.
Reacting to the study, Professor Burkhard Dick, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University Eye Hospital Bochum in Germany and president-elect of ESCRS, said: “While surgery for age-related near vision loss has advanced, some patients are not candidates.
“The single-centre retrospective study by Dr Benozzi suggests that eye drops containing pilocarpine and diclofenac may improve near vision for up to two years, but the limited design means the results may not apply to everyone.
“Long-term pilocarpine use can sometimes cause side effects such as reduced night vision, dimmer vision in low light, eye strain, irritation and, in rare cases, retinal detachment, while prolonged topical NSAID use may pose corneal risks. Broader, long-term, multi-centre studies are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before this treatment can be widely recommended.”