Abstract
Purpose :
Higher rates of medication non-compliance in Vietnamese populations have been reported among patients with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. Glaucoma medication non-compliance and potential barriers to compliance among Vietnamese Americans have not been reported. This cross-sectional, observational study assesses glaucoma medication non-compliance among a Vietnamese American patient population and identifies the commonly cited barriers which potentially hinder glaucoma medication compliance.
Methods :
206 Vietnamese American patients taking glaucoma medication(s) were recruited from an ophthalmology practice in Westminster, California. All study subjects completed questionnaires on demographics, administration of glaucoma medications, social support, insurances, and commonly reported barriers to medication compliance. Medication non-compliance was determined by criteria established by the MARS-5 questionnaire. Quantitative analyses using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression were performed.
Results :
19.4% of the subjects were found to be non-compliant as per the MARS-5 criteria. Decreasing age had a statistically significant association with medication non-compliance (OR=1.05, p=0.02). Increasing frequency of daily administrations of glaucoma medications trended towards non-compliance (OR=1.55, p=0.07). Among non-compliant patients, the most frequently cited barriers were forgetfulness (60%), burning or stinging with drops (47.5%), blurriness from drops (45%), medication cost (32.5%), intolerable medication-induced side effects (32.5%), and busyness with obligations (32.5%).
Conclusions :
Non-compliance was found in 19.4% of our survey subjects. Both decreasing age and increasing frequency of administration were correlated with glaucoma medication non-compliance. The most commonly cited barrier was forgetfulness. Knowledge of the factors relevant to non-compliance can guide interventions to improve glaucoma medication compliance.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.