Therapeutic Effect of Topical Pilocarpine in Presbyopia Treatment

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction during the application of low-dose Pilocarpine 1.25% as a treatment option in presbyopia. Study Type: A Prospective Interventional Clinical Trial. Materials and Methods: 120 patients with presbyopia were enrolled in this study, patients ages were between 40 and 55 years. A full history was taken and a detailed ocular examination was done. Measurements of refractive errors, uncorrected distant visual acuity (UCDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UCNVA), intraocular pressure, and pupil diameter and iris color assessment were performed before the enrollment and after half an hour, an hour, and three hours from the installation of topical pilocarpine 1.25%. Pilocarpine 1.25% drops were given for a month at a rate of one drop in the morning. Finally, a questionnaire was taken about the extent of satisfaction and reported side effects of the treatment. Results: Our study shows that the application of pilocarpine improved the average UCNVA from J3-J7 to J1-J2 with statistically significant differences (p=0.0001). A slight decrease in the mean UCDVA from 0.7-1.0 to 0.6-0.9 was noticed without statistically significant differences (p=0.09), and a decrease in intraocular pressure with statistically significant differences (p=0.01) was recorded. The self-assessment showed safety and patients were relatively satisfied when using the treatment. Conclusion: The application of low-dose pilocarpine 1.25% drops in a daily dose for the treatment of presbyopia is safe and improves near visual acuity, without a statistically significant effect on uncorrected distant visual acuity, while maintaining its efficacy during the month of the study