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TIPS, TRENDS & NEWS YOU CAN USE

O.D.S PROVIDE TIPS TO INCREASE SUCCESSFUL DROP INSTILLATION IN THE ELDERLY

Proper instillation of eye drops may be easy for some, but for elderly patients with physical limitations, such as arthritis, it’s a major problem that can hasten blinding or debilitating diseases, such as dry eye disease and glaucoma.

With this in mind, your colleagues provide tips to increase successful drop installation:

• Refrigerate the drops. The cooler temperature of the drop provides a tangible sensation when it hits the patient’s eye, says Justin Schweitzer, O.D., of Sioux Falls, S.D.

• Recommend reclining. “This works to get the patient’s head in the proper position — eyes to the ceiling,” Dr. Schweitzer explains. “The patient can lay in his bed, on a couch, whatever works.” Optometrist Brett Bence, of Seattle, agrees: “Standing or sitting up while trying to put eye drops in can be non-productive and, quite frankly, dangerous if the patient should lose balance and fall.”

• Involve relatives. Optometrist Paul C. Ajamian, of Atlanta, recommends O.D.s involving a patient’s relative in the process. Fellow O.D. Chuck Aldridge, of Burnsville, N.C., uses this technique. “We have this ‘helper’ come in to one of the patient’s follow-up visits, and we provide a quick course on how to administer the drop,” he explains.

A related tip, “If the patient is missing follow-up appointments, he or she has most likely stopped the drops,” says Dr. Ajamian.

• Refer to outside sources. If the patient has mild to moderate glaucoma and cataracts, send him to a surgeon with iStent experience. Recommend it be inserted in each eye, says Dr. Ajamian. “It is covered by insurance and gives the patient a chance to stop drops,” he explains. Dr. Schweitzer recommends instillation-assisting tools, such as Aller-Guide, Autodrop, EZ Drops and the Cress Eye Dropper ■

The survey, from which this data comes, was comprised of 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, employed full- or part-time, whose employers offer vision benefits.

THREE TIPS FOR INCREASING CONTACT LENS COMPLIANCE IN PATIENTS FROM THE START

As non-compliance to the prescribed lens wear and care schedule often leads to complications that prompt contact lens drop out — which costs patients and practices — increasing the likelihood of compliance from the start makes sense.

So, how can one do this?

• Prescribe daily disposables. “I always recommend daily disposable lenses to first-time wearers because there is zero care involved, and who doesn’t like to wear a fresh pair of lenses everyday?” explains optometrist Dori Kimchy, of Rockville, Md. “If I provide trials for a week, they pretty much seal the deal for new wearers.”

Optometrist Scott Moscow, of Roswell, Ga., agrees. “Any new contact lens wearer gets a demo of a daily disposable, so he or she can experience how good the lenses feel and the fact that patients don’t have to worry about lens solutions, cases or following a replacement schedule,” he says.

• Educate about concerns related to contact lenses. For new two-week and monthly wearers, Dr. Kimchy says she stresses that these patients adhere to the indicated wear schedules for their contact lenses to minimize the risk of contact lens-related complications.

Optometrist Brittany Mitchell, of Birmingham, Ala., adds that she always discusses the importance of purchasing the exact solution she prescribes, so patients are aware that generic-looking forms of brand-name solutions aren’t the same and can negatively interact with the lens, causing discomfort.

“I also write a list of drops that are approved to use with contact lenses because a lot of patients buy over-the-counter artificial tears and other lubricants that can build up on the lens surface,” Dr. Mitchell says. “In addition, I explain that lens cases should be discarded every three months because they’re harboring bacteria at this point that could cause infections.”

• Instruct patients to link compliance with a current habit. “If the patient wears monthly lenses, for example, ask him or her whether he or she does something on a monthly basis and to link replacing the lenses with this habit,” explains Dr. Kimchy. “For example, if a patient pays his or her rent first of the month, he or she should replace the lenses on this date as well.”

The key to compliance from the start is answering “why,” explains Dr. Moscow.

“You have to tell patients ‘why’ they should get daily disposable lenses or adhere to the proper wear and care schedule, so they see the personal value of doing it,” he explains ■

OGS LAB OPENS IN LIMA, PERU

An optical lab, funded by an Optometry Giving Sight Grant, is now open at the Divino Nino Jesus Eye Hospital in Lima, Peru, ready to provide thousands of new glasses to those in need in Lima and the Amazon rainforest ■

The OGS optical runs like the rest of the hospital, in that patients pay according to their income with the poor receiving free care/glasses. The optical also provides a dignified atmosphere where patients know they are receiving equal quality care, OGS says.