Patient reliability in the administration of topical ocular medication.

PURPOSE To evaluate patient's reliability in the administration of eyedrops. METHOD The study is based on a randomised, controlled clinical trial in which a steroid-containing drug delivery system (DDS) was directly compared to conventional steroid eyedrops after cataract surgery. 32 eyes undergoing extracapsular cataract extraction with intra-ocular lens insertion received a DDS, while 31 eyes received 0.1% dexamethasone eyedrops q.d.s for 30 days. Patients with DDS were given a placebo eyedrop in the form of 0.9% sodium chloride, while all 63 eyes received topical chloramphenicol eyedrops q.d.s for 30 days. At the conclusion of the 30 day visit, the eyedrop containers were collected and the residual volume of medication remaining in each bottle was then measured to the nearest 10 microlitre using a pipette. RESULTS 31 patients returned the complete set of eyedrop containers. There was no statistical significant difference in the volume used between the types of eyedrops, sex and diabetic status. All the patients used more than the prescribed amount. Older patients tended to use less medication. CONCLUSION The amount of medication that patients actually administered in this trial varied widely according to the individual, and patient age may be a factor affecting compliance in using eyedrops.