MicroLine™ is our proprietary pilocarpine formulation and candidate for the episodic treatment of presbyopia.
Using the Optejet® dispenser to administer pilocarpine to presbyopic patients offers a number of advantages over generic eyedroppers. With the Optejet®, patients may have the freedom to dose themselves as needed, giving themselves approximately 3-4 hours of improved near vision. The Optejet® administers 1/5 the volume of solution compared to a traditional eyedropper, eliminating the excessive overdosing that occurs with typical eyedrops and reducing systemic exposure and toxicity1. With horizontal instillation and accurate delivery of medication, drug is less likely to spill or run onto the face, eliminating drug waste and creating a neater application experience . Eyenovia’s two Phase III studies for this will be on going or starting in 2021.
Disease State.
Presbyopia, the age-related hardening of the lens causing blurred near vision, affects approximately 113 million Americans2,3,4. Vision impairment typically begins after age 40 and is often corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. Because many individuals with presbyopia have otherwise normal vision, presbyopia has been shown to have a negative impact on quality of life and wearing glasses is often the first outward sign of aging.
Standard of Care (SOC).
Currently, the use of reading glasses is the predominant treatment for presbyopia, other vision correction treatments include multifocal glasses and contacts, refractive surgery, and IOL implants. A number of eyecare companies are currently working on pharmacologic treatments for presbyopia for temporary relief in the form of topical eyedrops. A well- known and established drug, pilocarpine, is being used in a number of these eyedropper treatments for presbyopia. Pilocarpine has been demonstrated to constrict the pupil of the eye and create a “pinhole” effect that increases the depth of field. Similar to a pinhole camera, near and intermediate objects are brought into an expanded depth of focus.
Eyenovia Innovation.
MicroLine™ is our proprietary pilocarpine formulation and candidate for the episodic treatment of presbyopia. Using Eyenovia’s Optejet® dispenser to administer pilocarpine to presbyopic patients offers a number of potential advantages over generic eyedroppers. With the Optejet®, patients may have the freedom to dose themselves as needed, giving themselves 3-4 hours of improved near vision. The Optejet® is designed to administer 1/5 the volume of solution compared to a traditional eyedropper, eliminating the excessive overdosing that occurs with typical eyedrops and reducing systemic exposure and toxicity1. With horizontal instillation and accurate delivery of medication, drug is less likely to spill or run onto the face, eliminating drug overexposure and possible makeup interference.
1. American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). “Wouldn’t it be great if eyedrops didn’t spill out of your eyes?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 November 2017.
2. Vitale S, Ellwein L, Cotch MF, Ferris FL 3rd, Sperduto R. Prevalence of refractive error in the United States, 1999-2004. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Aug;126(8):1111-9. doi: 10.1001/archopht.126.8.1111. PMID: 18695106; PMCID: PMC2772054.
3. Fricke, T and Tahhan, N. Global Prevalence of Presbyopia and Vision Impairment from Uncorrected Presbyopia. 2018 Global Presbyopia Market Scope Research Report. Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today Europe. Accessed December 2018.
4. Population estimates from U.S. Census (census.gov); presbyopia incidence from AAO.