Eyedrop Instillation Technique

Oftalmologia Hospital Sotero del Rio

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Glaucoma; Glaucoma Suspect

Treatments: Other: Encouragement to attempt eye drop instillation with a specific technique

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01417689

Oftalmo_Glaucoma_001

Details and patient eligibility

About

Eye drop instillation is a problem from glaucoma patients. Studies reveal that 30-50% of glaucoma patients have problems instilling their eyedrops. These problems include not hitting the eye, spending many drops to get a single successful instillation and bottle contamination.

The present study will evaluate the effect of encouraging patients to put their eyedrops using one of 2 techniques, randomly assigned, to determine which is more successful at instilling the eye drop into the eye while spending the least amount of drug.

In one of the techniques the patient instills the eye drop with their eyes open in the inferior cul de sac. In the other technique the patient instills the eye drop with the eyes closed near the inner canthal region.

Patients will be randomized to encouragement to use the drops with either of the techniques. Encouragement will take place over a visit where they will be subjected to:

• Baseline evaluation of eye drop instillation using their usual technique.
• Short (2-5 minute) educational session session for the assigned technique.
• Followup evaluation immediately after the educational session.

Enrollment: 230 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Glaucoma or glaucoma suspect
• Use of topical glaucoma medication in both eyes for at least 1 year prior to enrollment
• VA of 20/60 or better with habitual correction in at least one eye

Exclusion criteria

• Previous history of allergy to fluorescein
• Received topical anesthesia for IOP measurement or other reason within the last 2 hours.
• Rejects participation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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230 participants in 2 patient groups

Open-eyes

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients in this arm are encourage to attempt eye drop instillation using the most commonly used technique that involves looking up, pulling inferior lid down and putting the drop in the inferior cul de sac.

Treatment:

Other: Encouragement to attempt eye drop instillation with a specific technique

Closed-eyes

Experimental group

Description:

Patients in this group are encouraged to attempt eye drop instillation with both eyes closed near the medial canthal region. After feeling contact with the drop on the skin the drop is expected to enter the eye when opening the eye and resuming blinking.

Treatment:

Other: Encouragement to attempt eye drop instillation with a specific technique