Can technology improve adherence to glaucoma medication?

Deborah Bott, a PhD Researcher at City, University of London, is planning to investigate how technology can be used to aid glaucoma medication adherence.

Deborah is an optometrist with experience working in glaucoma clinics and regularly witnesses the difficulties patients have using their eye drops correctly.

Funded by a College of Optometrists Scholarship, Deborah will investigate barriers that can affect adherence and will examine the feasibility and acceptability of using a technical intervention such as a smartphone app or a “chatbot” to improve adherence to glaucoma medication.

Deborah plans to interview people with glaucoma to gather information about their experiences of using eye drops and understand their thoughts about using technology to help with medication compliance. This information will help the team develop a technology-based intervention to investigate if it can help with medication compliance.

She plans to work with Mr Pouya Alaghband, a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at York Teaching Hospital. Mr Alaghband agrees with how important this work is. “One of the main reasons for the progression of disease in patients with glaucoma is non-compliance. This research will explore the reasons behind this issue and hopefully assist patients in the management of their condition.”

If you are interested in this research and would like to find out more, or if you want to be kept up to date with the team’s progress, email Deborah at Deborah.bott.1@city.ac.uk

This article was originally published in Insight magazine.