Improving compliance through access to eye drop medication
Over 4% of the over 65's will be diagnosed with glaucoma.
Compliance and concordance within this group is acknowledged as poor with up to 50% of patients failing to take their eye drop medication as prescibed.
The RNIB estimate in their report "Don't blame the patient" that around 210,000 people in Britain alone have irreversible sight loss due to glaucoma medication non-compliance.
Forgetfulness is a major contributor, as are co-morbidities such as arthritis. Many cannot get full access to their drops due to poor manual dexterity and lack of confidence.
As a pharmacist, you can promote concordance and independent living for eye drop users by:
- Giving guidance on good Eye Drop Application Technique.
- Using large (18+) font size for labelling and dosing information.
- Helping to differentiate similar looking medication bottles
- Using Medicine Use Reviews to ensure patients have equal access, under the DDA directive, to their eye drop medication
- Advising on the availability and use of eye drop dispensors such as Opticare
View full article as published in Pharmacy in Focus
Opticare stockists
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Prescribing Opticare
The full Opticare range is available for prescription in the UK. Find out more here.
Guidelines and Info
NPC published guidelines and info PDF downloads for assistive devices for glaucoma patients, repeat prescriptions and achieving concordance.