Glaucoma patients ‘failing to adhere to treatment regimens’

A large proportion of glaucoma patients in the UK are failing to consistently adhere to the medication they are being prescribed, according to a new study.

Research by the University of East Anglia, in association with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, found that 40 percent of patients are not using the eye drops they are given on a daily basis as they are supposed to.

Those in this group were discovered to be using less than 80 percent of the provided medication, which could be undermining the effectiveness of the treatment in helping to preserve their vision.

Pharmacy practice lecturer Dr Debi Bhattacharya, who helped to conduct the study, observed that patients who receive satisfactory information on their treatments are more likely to take it regularly.

"It is therefore essential that healthcare professionals take the time to provide patients with the information that they desire about their medication at the point of initiation," she said.

NHS figures reveal that about 480,000 people currently have chronic open-angle glaucoma in England, a figure expected to rise as the population ages.