VUITY Eye Drops
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Presbyopia
People with presbyopia often notice they need more light to read, and have to hold reading material at arm’s length to focus.
Allergan, the company that sells VUITY, claims the medication can result in a three-line or more gain on a near vision eye chart by day 30 of regular use. Furthermore, it also claims this gain comes with little loss of distance vision, resulting in less than one line of vision loss on a distance vision chart in that same period.
VUITY is FDA-approved. As of 2022, it holds the distinction of being the only FDA-approved prescription eye drop that can treat presbyopia.
The primary mechanism works by reducing your pupil size, which helps improve up-close vision.
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[slide img=”https://www.nvisioncenters.com/wp-content/uploads/consultation.jpg” title=”Consultation” content=”During the consultation, we will ask you about your eye health history and medications, and perform some tests. You will then be examined by the doctor who will discuss your treatment options. This visit usually takes about an hour and your personal Patient Counselor will help you throughout the process.
Your Counselor can review payment options and schedule you for surgery and related appointments, such as post-operative exams. You will have a set of instructions to follow to prepare for your surgery date that includes steps like taking prescribed eye drops and setting up a ride for your procedure day.”]
[slide img=”https://www.nvisioncenters.com/wp-content/uploads/procedure.jpg” title=”Procedure” content=”Plan to be at the center for two to three hours the day of your procedure. This allows for pre-procedure preparations including taking some medication in advance of your procedure. Monovision LASIK eye surgery is performed identically to LASIK, except that the visual target is mildly nearsighted in the non-dominant eye. The procedure is virtually painless and takes about 15-20 minutes in total. After numbing your eye, your surgeon creates a thin protective corneal flap, then reshapes the inner corneal layers with a computer controlled excimer laser. The corneal flap is then replaced to start the natural healing process. The day of your procedure should be a day of rest.”]
[slide img=”https://www.nvisioncenters.com/wp-content/uploads/post-procedure.jpg” title=”Post-Procedure” content=”Your Patient Counselor will give you detailed post-operative instructions and eye drop regimen for your recovery. Most of our patients are able to go back to work the next day and drive from their one-day post-op visit. You will be ready to resume other activities, like wearing eye makeup, according to the timetable provided.”]
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What are VUITY eye drops used for?
VUITY is used to treat presbyopia. This is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye begins to lose focus. This causes a person to become nearsighted over time.
Some level of presbyopia is inevitable as humans age, with most people seeing notable signs of nearsightedness by the age of 45. Deterioration can level off around the age of 65, as the lens of the eye has lost most of its elasticity at that point.
VUITY can help to artificially focus the eye, improving near vision. No cure exists for presbyopia, but VUITY can help treat its symptoms.
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Is VUITY available in the United States?
VUITY is available in the United States and has been since 2021. It is available in most pharmacies, and it cannot be purchased over the counter.
If you think you may benefit from VUITY, contact a doctor and ask them about it. It cannot treat all types of farsightedness.
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Do I require a prescription for VUITY?
VUITY is a prescription-grade drug that requires prior approval from a doctor. The FDA approved VUITY in October 2021.
This approval followed two promising randomized studies of 750 adults between the ages of 40 to 55. A statistically significant portion of participants treated with the drug showed improvement and no participants treated with the drug showed signs of serious adverse effects.
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Does VUITY have any negative side effects?
VUITY has the potential to reduce your distance vision slightly, as a result of the same mechanism that can improve your near vision. Notably, this loss isn’t proportional. Assuming the medication is a good option for you, the gain in near vision should be significantly more than a loss in distance vision.
VUITY may make night driving more difficult. It can also cause temporary problems in changing focus from near to distant objects, which can make operating heavy machinery unsafe. Less than 5 percent of participants in studies of VUITY showed signs of headache or eye redness after using the drug.
Very high doses of VUITY in animal trials affected fertility, but these trials used 200 times the recommended human daily dosage.
VUITY’s effect on lactation and breastfed infants has not been studied thoroughly. Parents may wish to speak with a doctor about whether breastfeeding while using VUITY should be avoided. VUITY’s effects on pregnant people have also not been studied.
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What ages is VUITY approved for?
Presbyopia is an age-related condition. Children should not use VUITY, and no official body has approved it for that purpose, but children will not need the medication. Children can have problems with near vision, but this is not the same as having presbyopia.
Clinical studies of VUITY’s effects did not include subjects over age 65. Senior patients can still use VUITY. What researchers know about similar solutions suggests senior patients should not see significant differences in its effect compared to younger patients.
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Can I use VUITY if I wear contacts?
You can use VUITY if you wear contacts. Allergan’s prescribing information recommends removing your contact lenses before application. Then, wait ten minutes before putting your lenses back into your eyes. This helps prevent your lenses from interfering with VUITY’s mechanism of action.
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