I HAVE FOUND SUCCESS PRESCRIBING Vuity for a number of different types of patients. Most commonly, however, those who most appreciated visual improvement were pseudophakes with premium intraocular lenses, post-LASIK patients, patients with dysphotopsia, and distance-corrected presbyopes.

What do all of these patients have in common? They are probably the easiest patients to treat, in that all they need is a slight improvement on their current vision to be happy. When Vuity first came out, I tried it on everybody who had presbyopia. Even though I had success with it, some patients weren’t as enthusiastic as I was, and others had issues with the mild side effect profile. A few didn’t like having a mild browache, which prompted them to discontinue. Beyond that, having to pay $79 for a product that would only last 1 month was also a commonly heard refrain.

Some eyecare professionals probably weren’t exactly excited about this option, as it could potentially eat into spectacle sales (and due to the fact that we don’t make any money from prescribing prescription eyedrops). So why then am I even writing this piece? How is this article supposed to encourage you to have these success stories?

First, I want you to realize that this medication isn’t going to replace anything that you already do for presbyopia, whether that’s a progressive additional lens, prescription reading glasses, or OTC readers. Think of Vuity as another tool in your toolbox to help patients that may not want to wear reading glasses for everything near all the time. Sometimes people want just a bit more clarity at near and intermediate distances. Are they going to use Vuity every single day? It’s possible, but probably not. Vuity is more of a niche product to provide patients with more flexibility in the options to correct their vision.

All the patients I have described were motivated in the past to decrease their dependence on their previous method of vision correction. These patients have either sought a surgical option (previous LASIK, refractive keratotomy patients) or asked for contact lenses to help them see better. Think of them as a preselected pool of patients ready made for a discussion about how Vuity may help them function a bit better. These are the patients with whom I have had the most success, and they are the patients you will find success with as well. ■

Dr. Dang is an optometrist practicing in Bakersfield, CA, with a unique clinical focus on ocular surface disease and dry eye disease. Born and raised in Paris, France, Dr. Dang earned his Doctorate of Optometry from Southern California College of Optometry.