Could These Eye Drops Replace Your Reading Glasses?
The buzzy presbyopia drops, decoded—how they work, who they’re for, and what to expect.
For some people, small fonts on menus, books, or phone screens are getting harder and harder to read. They start to struggle seeing clearly at close distances. Sometimes, no matter how hard you squint, you just can’t seem to make out the words in front of you. So, if you catch yourself reading at arm’s length most of the time, it may be a sign of age-related presbyopia or farsightedness.
Typically, the solution is to wear prescription reading glasses or contact lenses. But let’s be real: the effort of wearing glasses can get to you sometimes, especially when you keep on losing it, only to find out it’s been on your head the whole time. Not to mention the cost of getting a new pair when it breaks or when you need to go up a grade.
A new solution?
US-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company LENZ Therapeutics recently introduced a new option that doesn’t involve carrying a pair of specs everywhere: Vizz eye drops. It claims to treat age-related blurry near vision or farsightedness in adults.
As exciting as this sounds, let’s explore how the eye drops really work, and if it’s safe for long-term use.
This eye drop is supposedly a once-a-day solution. The brand recommends using one drop in each eye, waiting for two minutes, followed by one drop per eye again, then you’re good for the day.
Here’s how it works: the eye drops activates the muscles inside the eye, constricting the pupil to heighten the depth of focus, and blocking peripheral light. This enables you to see objects that are near you more clearly. According to information provided by the brand, the prescription eye drop gives the user temporary clear, near vision for up to 10 hours.
In an interview with Allure Philippines, ophthalmologist James Abraham Lee, MD, who practices at the American Eye Center explains that the main ingredient of Vizz is “aceclidine, which acts to constrict the pupil to make a pinhole effect to improve vision.”
But he made it clear that the eye drops do not really address the cause of presbyopia, which may happen over time. Farsightedness occurs when the shape of your eye is too short, or the cornea is too flat, causing a refractive error. As a result, you can’t see the things in front of you clearly, and commonly happens naturally. Sometimes, reading too close may also cause headaches.
He shares that pupillary constricting drops are not exactly new in the market, and low dose pilocarpine, a drug which also constricts the pupil and was used to treat glaucoma alongside aceclidine back in the 1970s. Usage declined however, because of the side effects that included headaches and burning (!), the result of improper storage by the manufacturer.
Is it safe for daily use?
“Low dose pupillary constricting drugs like aceclidine are safe for long-term use, but are not without side effects,” says Dr. Lee. The most common side effects of the medicine are short-term eye irritation, temporary dim or dark vision, and headaches. Thankfully, no more burning symptoms are involved.
While this FDA-approved eye drops offers a new approach to managing age-related presbyopia, he says that as of today, “There is no treatment, medical or surgical, to reverse it.”
That said, while Vizz offers an alternative to reading glasses, it is not a treatment or a cure-all. But options like this gives people more flexibility on how to manage their vision—be it glasses, contact lenses, or eye drops.
