Evaluation of Self-Competence in Eye-Drop Instillation in Healthy Young Adults

Aim: To evaluate the ability of self-instillation of eye drops in healthy adults. Methods: Participants who are older than 18 years old with no ocular or systemic pathologies were included in the study. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmological evaluation including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure measurement, anterior and posterior segment examinations. Participants were given a 5 ml bottle of sodium hyaluronate 0.15% (Dryex, Abdi Ibrahim, Turkiye) and were instructed to install one drop to each eye. Dominant hands of the participants were noted and eye-drop instillation was evaluated for each eye. Success was defined as putting one drop on the ocular surface, not touching the bottle tip to surrounding tissues nor to the ocular surface, and not putting more than one drop. Results: A total of 50 participants, 27 (54%) female and 23 (46%) male were included in the study. The mean age was 28.0±8.1 (18-40) years, and the mean best corrected visual acuity (Snellen) was 1.0 (all participants had 20/20 visual acuity). The number of participants who managed to instill the eye-drop to both eyes successfully was 13 (26%). When both eyes were encountered, the rate of he successful ability to instill at least 1 drop was 62%, bottle tip touch was 39%, and more than one drop flow was 27%). Conclusion: The success rate of self-using of eye drops is lower than expected (26%) in healthy young adults, and patient education on eye-drop instillation might be a necessity for every patient.