Ability of Patients With Low Vision to Properly Instill Eye Drops

Objective Evaluation of the Ability of Patients With Decreased Vision or Restricted Visual Fields to Properly Instill Eye Drops

The investigators are interested in seeing how people with low vision (decreased visual acuity or restricted visual fields) instill eye drops into their own eyes. The investigators hypothesis is that this population will have more difficulty with self-instillation of drops than a better-seeing population. The investigators aim to explore whatever factors may be involved in preventing this population from getting prescribed eyedrops into their eyes, whether it is more related to visual field or visual acuity.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Glaucoma; Retinal Pathology

Detailed Description

This is a study that involves a questionnaire that a study participant fills out, detailing their experience with eyedrops (if any), followed by a video recording of them instilling artificial tears into their worse-seeing eye, with their dominant hand. Patients must have visual acuity worse than 20/60 in at least one eye, and/or have a recent visual field that demonstrated Hodapp criteria for Moderate or Severe visual field damage. This is an observational study of how patients with low vision due to either glaucoma or retinal disease instill eyedrops. Each video will be "graded" by the principal investigator for "success" at instilling eyedrops, and patients will be stratified by their visual acuity or visual field, and whether they have a primary diagnosis of glaucoma or retinal disease.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 200

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21209
      • Glaucoma Specialists/Retina Care Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients reporting for appointments at outpatients referral practices shared by 2 glaucoma and 3 retina specialists

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• ETDRS visual acuity 20/60 or worse

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwilling to participate
• Light perception vision
• No light perception vision

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Glaucoma patients; This is a group of patients with restricted visual fields or ETDRS visual acuity of 20/60 or worse
Retina patients; A group of patients with retinal pathology(ARMD, CME, diabetic retinopathy) contributing to their decreased vision.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Successful instillation of a single eyedrop onto the surface of the eye	2 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mid-Atlantic Glaucoma Experts

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 25, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 25, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): September 26, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 26, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 23, 2010
• Last Verified: April 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: compliance; eyedrop instillation; How patients with low vision due to glaucoma or retinal pathology instill eyedrops into their own eyes.
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Eye Diseases; Ocular Hypertension; Glaucoma
• Other Study ID Numbers: SI-08-64