Perception of glaucoma and therapeutic adherence: A multicenter observational study

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate medication adherence of glaucoma patients through the “Glaucoma treatment compliance assessment tool (GTCAT)” questionnaire and to correlate the results with clinical parameters. Patients and methods This multicenter prospective observational study was performed in the Département hospitalo-universitaire (DHU) Sight Restore, Paris, France. All patients had been followed for chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) for at least 3 years. A French version of the GTCAT questionnaire was administered to patients. The results were correlated with clinical parameters of glaucoma, such as duration of disease, medications used, intraocular pressure (IOP) and mean deviation (MD) of the most recent visual field. Results Seventy-three patients were included in our study, with 60.9% declaring that they fully adhered to the treatment. There was a correlation between the amount of days missing treatment and difficulties using the eye drops. The main cause of missing the drops was forgetfulness (75%), followed by unavailability of the drop when it was time to take it (37.5%). The impact of glaucoma on quality of life was correlated to the amount of adverse effects of topical medications. The patient's perception of the importance of preserving vision was correlated to the level of confidence in the physician concerning the diagnosis of glaucoma. Conclusion In glaucoma patients, the use of the GTCAT questionnaire confirmed the complex relationship between the patient, the disease and its treatment, and even his or her relationship with the ophthalmologist. These results emphasized the importance of therapeutic education but also the negative role of side effects of the eye drops on treatment adherence in glaucoma patients.