New Medications for Dry Eye and Presbyopia

Topical miotics are approved for use in all adults with presbyopia, including post-LASIK patients and pseudophakes, and acoltremon is a treatment option for multiple dry eye subtypes, either as primary therapy or adjunctive treatment.

By
Sarah Fackler, managing editor, Optometric Management
January 1, 2026
4 min

Optometric Management

Objective:

To review new topical prescription therapies for presbyopia and dry eye disease.

Key Findings:

Pilocarpine showed over 52% of patients achieving 20/40 DCNVA or better within 15 days (P<.0001).
Aceclidine demonstrated a rapid onset of effect with 71% of participants achieving significant near vision improvement (P<.0001).
Acoltremon met primary endpoints in phase 3 trials with significant improvements in tear production and symptom scores (P<.0001).

Interpretation:

New therapies like pilocarpine, aceclidine, and acoltremon provide effective treatment options for presbyopia and dry eye disease, with varying mechanisms and dosing regimens.

Limitations:

Adverse events reported include headache, instillation site pain, and dim vision. Caution is advised for patients with specific conditions such as iritis and other ocular pathologies.

Conclusion:

Topical miotics and neuromodulators expand treatment options for presbyopia and dry eye, with ongoing investigations into additional therapies like qASED and reproxalap.

New Medications for Dry Eye and Presbyopia

Objective:

Key Findings:

Interpretation:

Limitations:

Conclusion:

Original Source(s)

New Medications for Dry Eye and Presbyopia

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