As we age, many things about our bodies change. If we don’t become bald, what hair we have eventually turns gray or white. Our joints hurt after the slightest activity, and worse, yet, they are stiff and don’t bend like they used to. Our hearing goes (presbycusis), we gain weight, and our arms seem shorter because they suddenly aren’t long enough to hold the newspaper where we can read it clearly. Somewhere between the ages 41 and 45, something occurs to our vision that makes us head to CVS to buy reading glasses.
That “something” is called presbyopia, and darn if it isn’t annoying. Presbyopia is the name given to “age-related farsightedness.” That means objects at a distance are clearer and easier to see than are objects up close. So when you try to read, your tendency is to hold what you’re reading far away to see the text more clearly, but eventually your arms are too short to accomplish that task. Natural aging causes stiffness of our ocular lens so images we see don’t focus on the fovea, or central focal point in our retinas. So things up close are blurry.
Most people treat presbyopia simply by wearing reading glasses. Others, with more complicated cases, see their optometrist or ophthalmologist and receive a prescription for bifocals or trifocals to help them see objects clearly at varying distances. Some are helped by contact lenses while others resort to refractive surgery for a more permanent correction. Presbyopia is one of those situations where virtually 100% of the elderly have some degree of the problem.
In the past, eye drops have also been prescribed but were of little significant help. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new eye drop that combines two drugs that together have shown better results for presbyopia than either drug used alone. These drops contain carbachol and brimonidine and are marketed under the name YUVEZZI. That’s a rather odd name, but overlooking that quirk, it has been effective in patients for over 8 hours. During that time, users reported they could more clearly read lines on a near vision chart and still see objects located far away just as clearly. That means it would have to be dosed every 6-8 hours for the effect to be continuous.
Dr.G’s Opinion: It sounds like these drops are effective, but which is more troublesome, putting drops in your eyes 3-4 times a day or wearing bifocals/reading glasses? I suspect that’s a matter of personal preference and which option is more effective for your case. Cost may be a consideration, too, but was not mentioned in my reference source.
Reference: Sims M. FDA Approves First Dual-agent Eye Drop for Presbyopia. Medscape 2026 January 30.
