Evaluating adherence to ocular hypotensives using the Travatan dosing aid

• Main Authors: O'Dell L, Hennessy AL, Robin AL
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2012-01-01
• Series: Clinical Optometry
• Online Access: http://www.dovepress.com/evaluating-adherence-to-ocular-hypotensives-using-the-travatan-dosing--a9090

Leslie O'Dell1, Amy L Hennessy2,3, Alan L Robin2–41May Eye Care Center, Hanover, PA, USA; 2Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Glaucoma Specialists, Baltimore, MD, USA; 4Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USAPurpose: The Travatan™ Dosing Aid (TDA) is the first commercially available device designed to aid in patients' adherence to their glaucoma therapies and to record patients' eyedrop administration, so that doctors can better assess adherence. No prior studies have objectively evaluated adherence to glaucoma medications and its relationship to the severity of glaucoma or the use of multiple systemic medications.Methods: We enrolled 100 consecutive subjects from a private glaucoma practice, all currently using topical travoprost 0.004%. Each subject was issued a TDA to record the time and date of each drop instilled. Informed consents were signed and the subjects were aware that their medication use was being monitored. Patients returned for follow-up 30–60 days after their initial exam.Results: 89 subjects completed the study: 44 were male, with a mean age of 67 years, and 69.7% were Caucasian. Overall, patient adherence was 74.8% (range 22%–100%) improving to 85.4% on the day prior to follow-up. The mean number of missed doses per month was 6.24 ± 5.9. Only 7.9% of the study population never missed a dose and 23.6% ± 4.3% missed more than ten drops per month. No marked association was observed between the severity of glaucoma, race, or the number of systemic medications and adherence. A marked improvement in adherence was noted in patients using travoprost 0.004% as monocular therapy rather than binocular therapy, 84.0% ± 17.1% vs 67.4% ± 23.5% (P < 0.005).Conclusion: Patient adherence to glaucoma medical therapy is a major barrier in the management and treatment of glaucoma patients given the chronic nature and asymptomatic course of the disease. Until recently, an objective tool has not been available to the clinician to identify individual patients' rate of adherence. The TDA is an accurate, adjunctive tool available for assessing patient adherence on an individual level.Keywords: Glaucoma, adherence, therapy, travatan, medication, travoprost, monitoring