The tiresome ritual of reaching for reading glasses may soon be a relic of the past, as researchers have unveiled promising eye drops that could restore near vision for millions. A study presented at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Copenhagen reported sustained improvements among people suffering from presbyopia, the age-related condition that affects the ability to focus on close objects.
Presbyopia typically sets in during the 40s, caused by the eye’s lens losing flexibility. Spectacles or surgery have long been the only remedies, yet many find glasses inconvenient and operations costly. Scientists now believe a simple bottle of drops may hold the answer.
The clinical trial, involving 766 patients, tested drops containing pilocarpine and diclofenac, applied twice daily, once upon waking and again six hours later. Each participant was assigned a fixed dose of diclofenac, but the concentration of pilocarpine varied across three groups.
The results were striking. One hour after use, patients recorded an average improvement of 3.45 lines on the Jaeger eye chart, a standard for measuring near visual acuity. “Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations,” said Dr Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Centre for Advanced Research for Presbyopia in Buenos Aires.
According to the findings, 99 per cent of 148 participants in the one per cent pilocarpine group achieved optimal near vision, reading two or more additional lines. In the two per cent group, 69 per cent of 248 patients managed three or more extra lines, while 84 per cent of 370 participants in the three per cent group recorded the same improvement.
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Researchers emphasise that the benefits were not fleeting but lasted for as long as two years, raising hopes of a non-invasive, affordable solution to presbyopia. If successfully commercialised, the breakthrough could upend the global spectacles industry, offering freedom to millions who struggle with deteriorating close vision.
India, in particular, stands to benefit enormously from such innovation. The country is grappling with a massive burden of eye-related problems, with over 275 million people estimated to suffer from some form of visual impairment, according to the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS). Cataract remains the leading cause of blindness, while uncorrected refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism account for the largest share of correctable vision loss. Cases of myopia among children and young adults are rising sharply due to increased screen time and reduced outdoor activity.
This growing prevalence has also fuelled the rapid expansion of India’s spectacles and eyewear industry, currently valued at around ₹25,000 crore and growing at 8-10 per cent annually. Driven both by medical necessity and fashion consciousness, this market could face disruption should vision-restoring drops become widely available.
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