Pilocarpine eye drops show promise for improving near vision

Pilocarpine eye drops can enhance ocular accommodation, with higher concentrations leading to greater accommodative changes, according to a study.

Researchers evaluated 24 healthy volunteers with mild to moderate myopia using 3 different concentrations of pilocarpine (0.75%, 1.00%, and 1.25%).

All concentrations induced similar pupil constriction without affecting intraocular pressure. Higher doses of pilocarpine led to greater accommodative changes, with significant improvements in objective and subjective refraction. Accommodative response at a 20 cm stimulus decreased with medium and high concentrations, while accommodative facility improved most with the highest concentration.

The authors concluded that “pilocarpine has potential for managing presbyopia.”

Reference
Fu D, Han T, Song X, et al. Temporal impacts of diverse concentrations of pilocarpine ophthalmic solution on human accommodation. Clin Exp Optom. 2025;1-6. doi: 10.1080/08164622.2025.2452266. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39880391.