How Come Patients Don’t Take Their Glaucoma Drops?
June 6, 2011
Archives: A study found that after 1 year, only 22% of patients were adhering to their one-drop glaucoma regimen, and it dropped to 11% after 3 years. We have to be nuts to keep adding glaucoma drops to patients’ regimen- they can’t even take one drop. We ophthalmologists knew this already, but we, too, are in denial and just want to dispense with our duty and “treat” the patient. We ought to bite the bullet and push more laser in surgery in patients with moderate-severe glaucoma.
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In what issue of Archives was this study?
i think it was last month may
I’ve actually gone a step further. As my experience with ALT/SLT has been underwhelming (and these treatments can affect the success of later canaloplasty) I now advocate non-penetrating glaucoma surgery when it is apparent that drops are not working or being used as they should be.
in england, they go much faster even to penetrating surgery. you and england are probably on the right track- we should go to surgery earlier.