In just a few months’ time, presbyopia-correcting eyedrops may receive final approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), opening up another option to correct this middle-age issue. 

Presbyopia, also known as age-related farsightedness, is a condition that creeps up as you enter your mid-to-late thirties and beyond as a natural by-product of aging. Your ability to see things up close slowly diminishes. At first, you make adjustments like making your font larger on your mobile phone message apps or gradually holding a menu farther away until you realize you’ve extended your arm as far as it can go, for example. In addition, you may notice that you have more headaches, or your eyes hurt from straining to see, especially if you have to do a lot of work on a computer.

The go-to treatment for presbyopia has been to purchase reading glasses, which, for most people, may very well be the first time they’ve worn corrective lenses. If reading glasses are too inconvenient, contact lenses can be prescribed. For people who already wear glasses, adding multifocal lenses to help you read can be added to the prescription.

But this may all change, thanks to strides in pharmaceuticals where correcting presbyopia may be a couple of drops away. According to Ophthalmology Management’s online newsletter, there are nine new therapies in the FDA’s approval pipeline, with the first one due out this coming December. So, if you’d like to see if presbyopia-correcting eyedrops are for you, please schedule an appointment with either Dr. Cheryl or Dr. Dave to discuss your options!