Adherence with antiglaucoma therapy

In recent years an increasing attention has been drawn towards the performance of drugs in the real world. Beyond the mere IOP lowering effect, the treatment success implies a number of issues regarding the acceptance and adherence to the therapy. Health outcome studies and studies on compliance showed poor persistency and adherence levels for glaucoma medical therapy with higher scores for prostaglandine analogues. Adherence is in fact linked to many variables: regimen factors (as complexity of treatment, tolerability, side effects), patient factors (as memory, motivation, knowledge), provider factors (as dissatisfaction or poor communication with the physician) and situational factors ( as competing activities, change in routine). The choice of a therapeutic strategy capable of minimally influencing the patients’ quality of life is crucial for optimal adherence and improving doctor‐patient communication is essential in favouring patient’s decision‐making about health‐promoting behaviors.