Doctors have developed special eye drops for people with longsightedness that could replace the need for reading glasses or surgery. The treatment, presented at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Copenhagen, showed that most patients could read extra lines on eye test charts after using the drops twice daily.
Presbyopia affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, making it difficult to focus on objects and text up close. While glasses or surgery can usually resolve the problem, many find spectacles inconvenient, and surgery is not an option for everyone. The new drops offer a simple alternative.
The drops contain pilocarpine, which constricts the pupils and contracts the muscle controlling the eye's lens, and diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that reduces inflammation. The study involved 766 people in Argentina who used the drops upon waking and about six hours later.
Participants were divided into three groups receiving different pilocarpine concentrations. In the 1% group, almost all could read two or more extra lines. In the 2% group, 69% read three or more extra lines, and in the 3% group, 84% read three or more extra lines. Improvements were sustained for two years.
Dr Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Centre for Advanced Research for Presbyopia in Buenos Aires, said: 'Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations.' Common side-effects included temporary dim vision, irritation, and headaches.
Experts welcomed the findings but called for more research. Prof Burkhard Dick, president-elect of ESCRS, said: 'Broader, long-term, multi-centre studies are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before this treatment can be widely recommended.'
