Pilocarpine in the Treatment of Presbyopia: Progress, Issues, and Future Prospects

Presbyopia is a common age-related visual impairment. With the aging of the population, the incidence of presbyopia is increasing globally, becoming a worldwide public health concern. Treatment options for presbyopia include optical lens correction, surgical intervention, and pharmacological therapy. Pharmacological treatments for presbyopia are non-invasive, reversible, and have emerged over the past decade. Following the US Food and Drug Administration's approval of 1.25% pilocarpine for presbyopia, the use of pilocarpine and its compound formulations has gained increased attention, with some drugs entering clinical phase II/III trials ( www.clinicaltrials.gov ). Therefore, this article primarily describes and analyzes the progress of research on the use of pilocarpine and its compound formulations for presbyopia, as well as the challenges that remain to be addressed. The optimal dosage form, the optimal concentration, the long-term safety, and patient compliance should be further explored, and there is a lack of multi-center evidence-based medicine research to support it. The aim of this article is to provide a reference for researchers to conduct further in-depth investigations in this area.