Presbyopia-Correcting Eye Drop Works Best With Good Distance Corrected Near VA

A presbyopia-correcting eye drop containing low-dose pilocarpine may demonstrate the greatest treatment efficacy in patients with better baseline distance corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA), according to a poster presented at the American Optometric Association 2023 ePosters Virtual Event from June 13-14, 2023 in Washington, DC. Other factors, which included age, iris color, pupil diameter, and manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE), did not predict treatment outcomes, according to the report.

The research team, which included Gina Wesley, OD, Nate Lighthizer, OD, and Ben Gaddie, OD included 309 participants with presbyopia (age range, 45-64 years) in the investigation. Participants underwent treatment with the novel, presbyopia-correcting eye drop 2 times daily and attended follow-up visits on days 8 and 15 during the 2-week study duration. The researchers excluded participants with a binocular baseline of 20/40 or better on day 8, reducing the sample size to 209. The study’s objective was to determine the effect of age, iris color, pupil diameter, MRSE and DCNVA on treatment response, which the team defined as 20/40 in both eyes or better near visual acuity at 2
hours following dose 1 on day 8.

Baseline DCNVA was the best predictor of treatment response to the presbyopia-correcting eye drop, according to the poster presentation. Among participants with baseline 20/80, 20/63, 20/50, and better than 20/40 DCNVA, 57.6%, 62.2%, 84.7%, and 94.4%, respectively, achieved treatment response.

Refractive error type did not significantly affect treatment response and patients with hyperopia, emmetropia, and myopia achieved similar treatment responses (90.3%, 93.2%, and 95.5%, respectively). Similarly, age, pupil size, and iris color did not significantly affect treatment response for the presbyopia-correcting eye drop.

“Predicting the outcomes of clinical trials is important in the drug discovery process,” according to the poster presenters. “Pre-determination of patient subgroups that
will respond or not respond to treatment can help clinicians set manageable expectations
for their patients.”