Patients’ adherence to topical antiglaucoma medications in a tertiary care hospital

Objectives Adherence to glaucoma medications is a central factor to control intraocular pressure and manage glaucoma effectively. This study aims to assess the level of adherence of glaucoma patients to ocular hypotensive agents and determine factors contributing to non-adherence in the Aseer region. Methods This was a single-centre, prospective cross-sectional study carried out in Aseer Hospital, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through a customized questionnaire adapted from the Morisky, Green and Levine Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MGLS). Key findings Of the 102 glaucoma patients, 63 (61.8%) were non-adherent to their glaucoma medications. About 48 (76.2%) of them reported that they have no background information about glaucoma. Older participants (37, 58.7%; >50 years) showed a low adherence level compared with the younger individuals. Contributing factors to non-adherence include forgetting the dose time (32, 50.8%), illiteracy (31, 49.2%; P = 0.313), economic problems (26, 41.3%; P = 0.286) and lack of information about prescribed medications (15, 23.8%; P = 0.188). Conclusions No significant relationship was found between medication adherence and patient’s demographic data or their background knowledge about glaucoma. Despite the need for improving the glaucoma patient’s knowledge of their disease and the importance of medication adherence, an additional strategy as alerts by smartwatches should be encouraged to improve the adherence level.