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If you often have to hold things farther away to read them or wonder when the print on everything got so small, you’re probably familiar with the next step: reaching for your reading glasses. They help, of course—assuming you can find the pair you were just wearing—but there may be a new solution that doesn’t require you to carry an extra pair of glasses all the time.
That’s the promise behind specialized eye drops Vizz (approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2025) and Yuvezzi (approved in 2026). Both prescription drops treat presbyopia—the medical term for the trouble focusing up close that often starts in your 40s.
But before you retire the readers on your nightstand, it helps to know what these drops can realistically do. So, we asked ophthalmologists who’s most likely to benefit, how long the drops actually help, and what to consider—including night driving—before asking for a prescription.
How do these eye drops actually work?
Both work mainly by shrinking your pupils. Think of your eye like it’s a camera. Making the opening smaller brings more of what you’re looking at into focus, explains Robert Honkanen, M.D., chair of the ophthalmology department at Stony Brook Medicine in New York. These drops use that same principle, creating what eye doctors call a “pinhole effect.”
The medications achieve this using different ingredients, but the overall idea is the same. Vizz uses aceclidine, while Yuvezzi combines two: carbachol and brimonidine. These drops make your pupils smaller, allowing less light into the eye, which helps you see more clearly up close, explains Dr. Honkanen.
“Once the drops wear off, then the pupil returns to its normal size and the challenges of blurred near vision return as well,” adds Benjamin Bert, M.D., a board-certified ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley.
How much better will you be able to see?
For some people, the improvement could mean reading a text on your phone without making the font bigger. Dr. Bert says that’s the kind of difference going from 20/60 to 20/30 near vision could make. On an eye chart, that means being able to read three lines of progressively smaller letters or letters about half the size you could make out before.
But an eye chart can only tell you so much about how comfortably you’ll read a book on the couch. Dr. Honkanen says your starting vision, the size of the print, and the available light all affect the result. Being able to make out some smaller letters doesn’t mean every close-up task will suddenly feel effortless.
It’s also worth pointing out that not everyone achieves that three-line improvement. In one Yuvezzi study, about 38% of participants met that benchmark without a meaningful loss of distance vision one hour after treatment, compared with about 4% using drops without the active medications.
How long do the eye drops last?
Both drops can start helping you see more clearly in about 30 minutes, but the effect gradually wears off. How much they help (and for how long) will also vary from person to person.
According to their manufacturers, Vizz can last up to 10 hours and Yuvezzi up to eight, but it’s important to note that “up to” doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a full workday without your readers. In fact, in the Yuvezzi study mentioned above, only 10% of people using the medicated drops met the three-line benchmark eight hours later compared with 3% of those using placebo drops.
Both eye drop products are used once a day, though the directions are slightly different. With Yuvezzi, you put one drop in each eye. With Vizz, you put one drop in each eye, wait two minutes, then repeat. If things start looking blurry again later, reach for your readers rather than adding extra drops.
What are the potential side effects?
While smaller pupils can help you focus, they also let less light into your eye, which can make things look darker, especially in a dimly lit restaurant or while driving after sunset, explains Dr. Honkanen. Both medications’ prescribing information advises caution with night driving and says not to drive if your vision isn’t clear.
Essentially, the same effect that helps sharpen small print can make dimmer surroundings harder to see in. “Many people adapt to this difference, but it can take a few days of using the drops to see if you are able to adapt,” says Dr. Bert.
You might also get a headache or feel irritation when you put the drops in. Some people find the headaches or dimming annoying enough to stop using them, according to Marguerite McDonald, M.D., an ophthalmologist at OCLI Vision and clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center
One less common risk that deserves attention, too, is that medications that shrink the pupil have been linked to tears or detachments of the retina, the tissue at the back of your eye that’s sensitive to light. That’s why both products’ labels recommend getting your retina checked before starting, even if you’ve never had an eye problem before. If you randomly start seeing flashing lights, notice new floaters (a.k.a. specks or squiggles drifting across your vision) or lose any vision, seek medical care right away.
How much do prescription reading drops cost?
Dr. McDonald says cost absolutely factors into whether patients keep using the drops, which are generally an out-of-pocket expense. Before filling either prescription, ask your pharmacy what you’ll actually pay and whether you qualify for any savings.
At the time of publication, Vizz’s direct-order pricing lists $79 for 25 daily doses or $198 for 75 doses. The company calls those one- and three-month supplies, but if you use the drops every day, they won’t quite get you there. Meanwhile, Yuvezzi’s advertised pricing is $79 for a 30-day supply or $198 for a 90-day supply.
Will you still need reading glasses?
Probably, at least some of the time. Dr. Bert says many people can get by while the drops are working, but might still need them when the lighting’s not ideal. Tiny print may still be a challenge, adds Dr. Yoo.
That’s why she asks her patients about what they do for work and what their hobbies are before recommending an option. Spending hours reading small print is a different ask than wanting to check a label without hunting down your glasses.
Dr. Bert recommends thinking about when you’d most want that extra help. If it’s for dinner out, he says your doctor might suggest using the drops in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. Just factor in the commute home because it may not be safe for you to drive back later in the evening.
The good news is you don’t have to commit to drops and give up everything else. Dr. Yoo says people often switch between glasses, contacts, and drops depending on what they’re doing.
Who’s most likely to benefit?
The best candidates for these kinds of eye drops generally have otherwise healthy eyes, mild to moderate trouble seeing up close, as well as good distance vision, either naturally or with correction, says Dr. Honkanen. Dr. Bert often considers people in their 40s through their mid-50s a good fit.
Your prescription matters, too. Someone who sees well across a room but needs readers for a recipe has different needs from someone who already wears glasses to see clearly at most distances. If you already wear glasses or contacts for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, you could still need that to see clearly at other distances.
Having had LASIK or cataract surgery doesn’t automatically rule you out, but your doctor needs to know what your prescription was before surgery, says Dr. McDonald. People who were very nearsighted may have a higher risk of retinal problems, even if they now see well without glasses.
The bottom line
If you’re having blurry vision, the first thing to do is schedule a visit with your eye care provider. “You should seek an eye exam whenever you notice a change in your vision,” says Dr. Yoo. Cataracts or another eye condition could need attention before you consider drops.
If everything else looks healthy, your doctor may recommend prescription eye drops to help you see better up close in certain scenarios. Remember, the drops don’t reverse the changes happening inside your eyes, and their benefits wear off. “Nothing is as good as being young. Although these drops should help see up close, they cannot completely undue the changes of age,” says Dr. Honkanen. You may never get to retire your readers completely, but if the drops work well for you, you might not have to keep track of them quite so closely.
Eric M. Ascher, D.O. is a board-certified family medicine physician. He completed medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, his family medicine residency and fellowship at Northwell Health, and has been working for Northwell Health since. Dr. Ascher practices in New York City and focuses on preventative medicine and healthy lifestyles. He has been recognized annually on The Super Doctor’s List posted in the New York Times and has been recognized by Northwell Health as a Rising Star and Physician of the Year. He hosts a series on YouTube in collaboration with Northwell Health called “Hack Your Health,” where viewers are taught why household items may relieve their ailments. Dr. Ascher is an assistant professor of the Zucker Hillside School of Medicine at Hoftsra Northwell, has been a pioneer for telehealth throughout his career, has been a media expert, and is heavily involved in practice and technology optimization. He appreciates building relationships with his patients and their families to encourage long, happy, and healthy lives.
