Yuvezzi (carbachol 2.75% / brimonidine tartrate 0.1%) is the first dual-agent eye drop approved to treat age-related presbyopia, developed by Visus Therapeutics (now Tenpoint Therapeutics) and originally studied as Brimochol PF. A single preservative-free drop in each eye each morning constricts the pupil to a small aperture — a pharmacological pinhole — that extends the eye’s depth of focus and temporarily sharpens near vision, with a projected duration of effect of up to 10 hours. At our partner clinics, projected UK self-pay pricing is from £65–£95 per bottle per eye per month (roughly £750–£1,100 per year for ongoing bilateral therapy), inclusive of consultant assessment, prescription and a tolerability review. Yuvezzi is a reversible symptom-control aid — it does not slow or reverse the underlying loss of lens accommodation.
What is Yuvezzi?
Presbyopia is the gradual, age-related loss of the eye’s ability to focus on near objects. It begins in the mid-40s as the natural crystalline lens stiffens and the focusing muscle weakens, and it affects almost everyone eventually — an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide. For decades the only answers were reading glasses, progressive lenses, contact lenses or surgery. Yuvezzi adds a fourth option: a daily eye drop.
Yuvezzi is a fixed-combination ophthalmic solution that brings together two long-established agents in a single preservative-free, once-daily drop. Carbachol is a direct-acting cholinergic miotic that constricts the pupil and induces a small accommodative effect. Brimonidine tartrate is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that supports and sustains the small pupil, reduces the conjunctival redness that miotics alone can cause, and helps extend the duration of effect across a full working day. It is the same molecule as the Brimochol PF preservative-free presbyopia drop studied in the BRIO phase 3 programme.
Symptoms of presbyopia Yuvezzi can help
- Holding your phone at arm’s length to read text or messages
- Blurred menus and small print, especially in dim restaurant lighting
- Eye strain or headaches after close work or screen time
- Needing brighter light to read comfortably
- Reaching for reading glasses repeatedly through the day
Tired of reaching for readers? A consultant presbyopia assessment confirms whether Yuvezzi suits your eyes and rules out other causes of near vision loss.
Book a presbyopia assessmentYuvezzi vs other presbyopia options
Presbyopia can be managed pharmacologically, optically or surgically. Yuvezzi is a daily drop you can try and stop at will; surgery is a one-off definitive correction. Your consultant will help you compare like-for-like based on your prescription, lifestyle and whether you also have early cataract.
Yuvezzi is one of two main UK pharmacological options, alongside pilocarpine-based Vuity. For a one-off correction your consultant may also discuss the EVO Viva presbyopic ICL or a presbyopia-correcting IOL such as the PanOptix Pro trifocal. See the full treatments hub for every presbyopia pathway.
How Yuvezzi works
Yuvezzi uses the optical pinhole effect. When the pupil is made smaller, the depth of focus increases — just as a camera stopped down to a small aperture brings more of the scene into focus. A presbyopic eye can then bring near print into focus without changing the cornea or the natural lens.
- Carbachol stimulates the iris sphincter muscle, constricting the pupil within about 30 minutes of instillation.
- Brimonidine sustains that small pupil diameter, prolongs the effect and counteracts the conjunctival redness miotics can otherwise produce.
- The smaller pupil extends the depth of focus, sharpening uncorrected near and intermediate vision.
- The effect is fully reversible: as the drug wears off the pupil returns to its baseline diameter and near vision returns to your untreated state.
Yuvezzi’s approval was supported by two phase 3 studies (the BRIO programme) involving more than 800 patients, which showed a significantly greater proportion of treated patients achieving a meaningful improvement in distance-corrected near vision versus vehicle, with a once-daily dosing schedule.
Daily use & what to expect
Yuvezzi is a daily routine rather than a procedure with a recovery period. Here is a typical day:
First 30 minutes
One drop in each eye after washing your hands. Mild stinging is normal. Near vision begins to sharpen as the pupil constricts.
First few hours
A mild headache or brow ache can occur in the first few days and usually settles. Near and intermediate vision are improved; distance vision may feel slightly dimmer in low light.
Hours 8–10
Projected duration of effect from a single morning dose covers a typical working day. The effect then fades as the pupil returns to baseline.
Weeks 4–6 review
A consultant review confirms tolerability and genuine benefit. If Yuvezzi is not right for you, you are counselled on surgical alternatives. There is no commitment to continue.
Cost & funding
Pharmacological treatment of age-related presbyopia is a lifestyle indication, so Yuvezzi is accessed privately and is not typically covered by the NHS or by private medical insurers. Our projected self-pay pricing is all-inclusive of the consultant pathway:
- Yuvezzi: projected £65–£95 per single preservative-free bottle per eye per month.
- Annual bilateral therapy: approximately £750–£1,100 per year for ongoing once-daily use in both eyes.
- Consultant presbyopia assessment: £250–£400, often credited against the prescription if therapy is started.
Because Yuvezzi is an ongoing cost, it is worth comparing the annual spend against a one-off surgical correction. See the Brimochol PF / carbachol-brimonidine cost breakdown for the detailed per-bottle and annual figures, and 0% finance options for the surgical alternatives.