Difficulty in eye drop administration for people with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction: Many people require eye drops administered daily, yet many do not instil them as prescribed. This can be due to physical difficulty managing the delivery device yet little research has focused on this. Methods: Participants from ophthalmology and rheumatology clinics at hospitals within two regions in Scotland (n = 206) were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire about eye drop use and difficulties they experienced. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the independent relationship between key explanatory variables and the major outcome variable, which was difficulty in administration. Findings: It was found that 62% of people who attended a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinic reported difficulty instilling eye drops and that they were four and a half times more likely to have difficulty than people who attended an ophthalmology clinic. A greater proportion of women and younger people attended the RA clinics than the ophthalmology clinics; however, the reasons given for having difficulty and the level of adherence did not differ between the two groups. Conclusion: The number of people newly diagnosed with RA is increasing worldwide, particularly among women, and many need eye drops. Experiencing difficulty instilling them is therefore a significant international health issue.