Glaucoma treatment adherence at a United Kingdom general practice

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
• Effective management relies on consistent patient adherence to topical medication regimens.
• Suboptimal adherence can lead to disease progression and vision loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient adherence to glaucoma therapy using electronic health records.
• To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with glaucoma medication adherence.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of prescribing records from a UK general practice (13,422 patients).
• Identified patients diagnosed with glaucoma or related conditions and prescribed topical treatments.
• Defined adherence as the deviation from the expected 12 annual prescriptions (one per month).

Main Results:

• 206 patients (74%) were prescribed glaucoma treatment.
• Adherence significantly varied by age, with younger patients exhibiting lower adherence (P=0.0347).
• No significant differences in adherence were found based on medication class, diagnosis, comorbidities, or number of drops.

Conclusions:

• Glaucoma treatment adherence increases with patient age.
• Younger patients may benefit from enhanced education on glaucoma and its treatment.
• Older patients might require interventions focused on optimizing eye drop technique to reduce potential wastage.