Special eye drops used two to three times daily might one day replace reading glasses as a means of coping with age-related vision loss, researchers reported.

Instead of searching for reading glasses, could middle-aged folks and seniors soon find themselves rummaging around for a misplaced eye dropper?

Special eye drops used two to three times daily might one day replace reading glasses as a means of coping with age-related vision loss, researchers reported in Copenhagen Sunday at a meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Researchers said most people using the drops could read an extra two, three or more lines on an eye chart.

What's more, their vision improvement lasted up to two years, results show.

"Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity, although the magnitude of the improvement depended on the status of their vision before treatment," lead researcher Dr. Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Center for Advanced Research in Presbyopia in Buenos Aires, said in a news release.

People naturally become nearsighted as they grow older, a condition called age-related presbyopia, researchers said in background notes.

The eye drops contain a combination of two active ingredients: pilocarpine, a drug that constricts the pupils and contracts the muscle responsible for controlling near-vision focus, and diclofenac, an NSAID that reduces inflammation and discomfort associated with pilocarpine.

Researchers tested the drops on 766 patients divided into three groups, with each group receiving a different strength of eye drop -- 1%, 2% or 3% concentrations of pilocarpine.

The team tested how well people could read an eye chart without reading glasses one hour after they first received the eyedrops, and then over two years of follow-up.

"Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations," Benozzi said. "One hour after having the first drops, patients had an average improvement of 3.45 Jaeger lines. The treatment also improved focus at all distances."

That wasn't all.

"Impressively, 99% of 148 patients in the 1% pilocarpine group reached optimal near vision and were able to read two or more extra lines," Benozzi added. "Approximately 83% of all patients maintained good functional near vision at 12 months."

About 69% of people in the 2% group were able to read three or more extra lines on the Jaeger chart, and in the 3% group, 84% could read three or more extra lines, results showed.

Side effects were generally mild, researchers said. About 32% of patients experienced temporary dim vision, and just under 4% reported headache or eye irritation.

But none of the patients discontinued use of the eye drops, and no severe eye problems like increased intraocular pressure or retinal detachment were observed, Benozzi said.

The results suggest that different concentrations of eyedrops could be prescribed to people based on their level of nearsightedness, she said.

"Patients with less severe presbyopia responded best to 1% concentrations, while those with more advanced presbyopia required higher 2% or 3% concentrations to achieve significant visual improvement," Benozzi said.

These results could be particularly important for people who aren't eligible for surgery for age-related nearsightedness, said Burkhard Dick, chair of ophthalmology at the University Eye Hospital Bochum in Germany, who reviewed the findings.

However, Dick noted that long-term use of both pilocarpine and eyedropper NSAIDs might cause some unwanted side effects.

"Broader, long-term, multi-center studies are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before this treatment can be widely recommended," Dick, who is president-elect of the ESCRS and was not involved in the study, said in a news release.

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Optometric Association has more on nearsightedness in middle age.

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