“Seeing” Eye Drops Expand the Therapeutic Landscape for Presbyopia

Presbyopia is a universal phenomenon accompanying the aging process. Treatment options for presbyopia are currently limited to corrective lenses or invasive surgical procedures that may not be reversible. Patients who require or desire independence from corrective lenses have limited alternatives. However, a pharmacological alternative"pilocarpine HCl ophthalmic solution 1.25%"was recently approved by the FDA, and several more agents for presbyopia are in development, including CSF-1 (a 0.4% pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution). Emerging treatments also include miotic agents, which create a “pinhole effect” that increases the visual depth of field, and lens softeners, which break disulfide crosslinks, restoring lens flexibility. Ophthalmologists need to be aware of these newly approved and emerging agents to provide expanded treatment options to their patients with presbyopia. In this CME activity, expert faculty provide guidance on incorporating new treatment strategies into clinical practice. They also review the burden of presbyopia, the current landscape of medical and surgical therapies, and the upcoming developments in pharmacological treatments for this prevalent disorder.