Glaucoma medication adherence in an adult population in Nigeria

Introduction: Glaucoma is a common and potentially blinding condition, which can be managed with the use of appropriate medication therapy. For the medication to be effective, there has to be strict adherence to drug regimen. However, this is not usually the case for many glaucoma patients. The aim of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators related to glaucoma medication adherence among an adult population. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine participants who had been diagnosed with glaucoma and had been on glaucoma medications for at least a year were recruited and interviewed. They were aged between 18 and 70 years with a mean age of 54 years. The one-on-one in-depth interviews were recorded using an audio recorder. Data obtained were transcribed and analysed using rank ordering to determine the degree of importance. Results: Results identified eight barriers to drug adherence among which were finance/cost of medication (195), forgetfulness (160) and side effects of drops (155). Other barriers were difficulty with drop administration (143), busy schedule (130) and non-availability of eye drops (122) among others. Facilitators identified included fear of blindness (185), desire for improved vision (152) and knowledge about the disease (112). Other facilitators were convenience of eye drop schedule (99), availability of drops (91) and use of alarms (89) among others. Conclusion: Understanding these factors would help eye care practitioners to advice their patients better and greatly slow down the progression of the disease.