A newly approved eye drop hitting the market on Thursday could change the lives of millions of Americans with age-related blurred near vision, a condition affecting mostly people 40 and older according to a report from CBS News.
Vuity, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October, would potentially replace reading glasses for some of the 128 million Americans who have trouble seeing close-up.
The new medicine takes effect in about 15 minutes, with one drop on each eye providing sharper vision for six to 10 hours, according to the company. Toni Wright, one of the 750 participants in a clinical trial to test the drug, said she liked what she saw.
The NYP reported that before Vuity, 54-year-old Wright relied heavily on her reading glasses, which she would stash around her house and “would always need to have [on]” when working on a computer.
Since beginning the trial, she simply pops one drop in each eye for significantly improved sight — and a break from her cumbersome spectacles.
“I was in denial because to me that was a sign of growing older, you know, needing to wear glasses,” the Pennsylvania-based retail consultant told CBS. She added that it’s particularly convenient for her “to have that option of putting the drops in and being able to go.”
In addition to offering an easy alternative to reading glasses for millions of those who develop farsightedness (the medical term for which is presbyopia) as they age, the drops are also relatively affordable: A 30-day supply costs approximately $80 without insurance.
