Abstract
Purpose :
The goal of this observational study is to assess patient adherence to a prescribed ophthalmic drop regimen following retina surgery. Previous studies have shown that eye drop adherence is an issue for retina patients with visual impairment; however, none have evaluated eye drop delivery and compliance using a mobile video monitoring device. We hypothesize that that following retina surgery, patients will experience difficulty instilling their prescribed eye drops.
Methods :
Twenty-seven subjects who had undergone retina surgery at the Retina Health Center were enrolled in the study on a consecutive basis. Subjects were trained on the use of the Eye Drop Application Monitor (EDAM) and their adherence was monitored for one week. Subjects recorded their adherence on a supplied take-home sheet where they noted the number of drops that landed in their eye, out of their eye, and/or half in/half out of their eye during each administration. The recorded videos were analyzed and percentages were calculated for actual treatment (drops in/prescribed), intention to treat (drops dispensed/prescribed), and success rate (drops in/dispensed). Drops analyzed as half in/half out were calculated as 0.5 drops in. A one-sample t-test was used to compare averages to the prescribed regimen. Averages represent the mean and standard deviation.
Results :
The actual drops delivered to the eye varied significantly from the prescribed regimen (p<0.005). Overall, subjects received 81% +/- 32% (range 4%-139%) of the drops they were prescribed. Their intention to treat (drops dispensed) was 125% +/- 38% (range 43%-211%) and was significantly different from prescribed regimen (p<0.005). The success rate per drop delivered was 69% +/- 30% (range 8%-100%) and varied significantly from an ideal success rate of 100% (p<0.001).
Conclusions :
We found a statistically significant difference between patient’s prescribed eye drop regiment and what they delivered to their eye following retina surgery. While there are no standards for acceptable adherence rates, 20% variation from the regimen is generally the accepted deviation. When this acceptable rate is applied to all three criteria, only 37% (10 subjects) were successful at adhering to their prescribed regimen. Our study demonstrates there is a needed to improve eye drop delivery in retina patients following surgery.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.