Reported medication adherence by glaucoma patients in a Nigeria hospital

Glaucoma is a chronic disease necessitating a lifelong treatment in order to prevent the occurrence of irreversible blindness.1 Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in Nigeria2 and the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally.3 The primary objective of glaucoma therapy is to prevent progressive vision loss and blindness. Lowering of intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only proven strategy that prevents the risk of glaucoma progression.4,5 Medical therapy, laser procedures, and incisional surgical treatment are reasonable options for the initial treatment of glaucoma (lowering intraocular pressure) and most patients initially receive topical ocular hypotensive drops.6 In the majority of cases topical therapy is beneficial if administered correctly. Poor patient adherence to chronic medical therapy has been well documented across the disease spectrum over the past several decades.6−8 Non adherences to medical treatments by glaucoma patients may lead to resultant visual impairment, blindness, and disabilities. Therefore, the outcome of therapy relies heavily on patient adherence to the treatment regimen.7 Successful outcomes of medical treatment for glaucoma requires proper and daily use of medication to prevent disease progression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adherence to long-term therapies among patients suffering from chronic diseases in the general population is around 50% and is much lower in developing countries.8 Nonadherence among glaucoma patients has been reported to range as high as 80%.9 Patients with poor adherence to medication have worse outcomes with a higher rate of visual loss and increase health care costs.10 Adherence is defined as the degree to which a patient follows the instructions to take a prescribed treatment during a defined period of time.11