Is the new eye drop introduced as a replacement to eyeglasses effective?

You are referring to Vuity®, a 1.25% solution of an old glaucoma eye drop called pilocarpine. Realize this is NOT going to help myopia (nearsightedness) or most kinds of astigmatism at all. It is only going to (possibly) help people in the process of losing their near vision from Presbyopia, the farsightedness of middle age.

While pilocarpine is a rather safe medicine known to us for years, its use does produce some undesirable side-effects, often diminished vision under dark or night-time conditions. In my experience as a refractive ophthalmologist, I find it works best in people age 40-49 with good distance vision, no cataract formation, and who are not bothered by the constricted pupil it causes.

_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic