Yuvezzi: First Combination Eye Drop for Age-Related Near Vision Loss

Yuvezzi is a new prescription eye drop approved to treat presbyopia, a common condition that makes it harder to see things up close as you age. It’s the only FDA-approved eye drop that combines two active ingredients – carbachol and brimonidine tartrate – to improve near vision without surgery.

Presbyopia usually starts around age 45 and affects nearly 128 million people in the U.S. and about 2 billion people worldwide. Most people manage it with reading glasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Yuvezzi offers a noninvasive option that may be easier to fit into the daily routine.

The two ingredients in this medication work together to help your eyes focus better. Carbachol makes your pupils smaller, which helps sharpen near vision. Brimonidine helps keep the pupils small for longer, creating a pinhole effect that improves how clearly you see things up close.

Why Was It Approved?

Yuvezzi was approved after studies showed it helped people see better up close without affecting their distance vision. In these studies, more people using this medication were able to read three more lines on a standard eye chart compared to those using a placebo or either ingredient alone. The improvement in near vision lasted up to eight hours after one dose.

The studies also found that this medication was generally safe and well tolerated. The most common side effects were mild and included eye pain, blurry vision, eye irritation, and headache. No serious side effects linked to the treatment were reported during a 12-month safety study that included over 72,000 treatment days.

Eye redness was reported less often with Yuvezzi than with carbachol alone, which may make it more comfortable for some users.

What Do I Need to Know?

You use Yuvezzi once a day by putting one drop in each eye. It comes in single-use vials, and you should throw away the vial after using it. If you wear contact lenses, take them out before using the drops and wait 10 minutes before putting them back in.

Yuvezzi is expected to be available in the U.S. starting in the second quarter of 2026.

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to any of its ingredients or if you have an inflamed iris, a condition called iritis. Use caution if you have low blood pressure, circulation problems, or depression. The drops may cause blurry or dim vision, especially in low light, so be careful when driving at night or doing tasks that require clear vision.

Call your health care provider right away if you notice flashes of light, floaters, or sudden vision loss.

This medication adds a new nonsurgical option to the list of treatments for presbyopia, which also includes glasses, contact lenses, and surgery.