[Pharmacotherapy Study of Ophthalmic Solutions and Their Contribution to Patients with Eye Diseases]

Starting in 1976, I worked as a pharmacy resident in the Department of Pharmaceutical Services at Hiroshima University Hospital, starting in 1976. I simultaneously worked as a pharmaceutical researcher outside the hospital pharmacist hours. I encountered a female patient with eye disease in 1998 during drug counseling hours for an outpatient. She left for a weeklong overseas travel within 3 days. She had one bottle of ophthalmic solution for anti-inflammatory treatment; her ophthalmologist instructed her to schedule her next visit when the bottle was empty as her condition was not severe and wanted to provide a simple guideline for scheduling a follow-up. She then asked me when the ophthalmic solution bottle would be empty. I could not immediately answer her question despite my 22 years of experience as a pharmacist. I realized a gap in the field in this moment, which inspired me to become an ophthalmology research pharmacist who answered important questions such as these. In my experience, apart from me, only a few pharmacists have participated in clinical ophthalmic research over the past 50 years. Upon my retirement, and based on my experience, my message to young researchers is to remain in research in this field to help improve the outcomes and quality of life for those with eye diseases.