At this year’s Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting, Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, delivered an enthusiastic and practical take on the evolving landscape of presbyopia management. Highlighting it as a core pillar in her practice, McGee emphasized that today’s approach must move beyond traditional methods like spectacles and contact lenses. Instead, she urged fellow optometrists to embrace newer, multifaceted treatment strategies—including pharmaceutical drops and surgical options.
“We have some great products on the market and some coming to us as well,” said McGee, underscoring her excitement around therapeutic drops, a category she believes remains largely underutilized. She views these emerging therapies as key tools to personalize care and deepen presbyopia offerings within a modern optometry practice.
Empowering patients through multimodal care
Key takeaways for optometrists:
- Presbyopia care is evolving: Move beyond monotherapy with spectacles or contacts.
- Therapeutic drops are an emerging opportunity: Useful as standalone or adjunctive treatments.
- Patient education is crucial: Help them understand that combining modalities is not only possible but often optimal.
- Motivation matters: A patient’s willingness to try new approaches is a strong predictor of success.
- Stay diligent: Ensure comprehensive ocular health before prescribing pharmaceutical options.
One of the most striking points McGee made was the need to shift both practitioner and patient mindsets. Many patients, she noted, do not realize they can—and often should—use multiple modalities in tandem. “It might be a pair of spectacles and a therapeutic drop, it might be contact lenses and spectacles and a therapeutic drop. It might be a surgical option and a therapeutic drop.”
By prescribing for specific situations rather than defaulting to a single solution, optometrists can better address the lifestyle needs and visual goals of their presbyopic patients.
Patient motivation is the true indicator of success
McGee stressed that identifying a good candidate for therapeutic interventions isn’t solely about ocular measurements or clinical criteria—it’s about patient motivation. “Ultimately, it's not finding the right exact prescription or the right exact pupil size. It's more about whether the patient is motivated to try something different and be less dependent on their current technology.”
Clinical diligence still applies
When incorporating pharmaceutical drops into presbyopia management, comprehensive eye exams remain the foundation. McGee emphasized the importance of ruling out retinal pathology and ensuring overall ocular health. “It's the things that you and I already do,” she noted, encouraging optometrists to confidently integrate these new therapies using standard diagnostic practices.
