[Factors related to glaucoma treatment compliance: patients' opinions from a University Hospital].

PURPOSE

Considering that noncompliance to glaucoma treatment is one of the risk factors associated with disease s progression, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate: 1) knowledge and feelings about the disease; 2) self-reported noncompliance to treatment and related factors; and 3) influence of disease in lifestyle.

METHODS

Interviews, with application of a semi-structured questionnaire, of 50 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The analysis was performed using Lefèvre's technique (Collective Subject Speech--CSS, qualitative/quantitative research).

RESULTS

Thirty-eight percent of patients did not consider themselves well informed about glaucoma. The percentage of patients that reported noncompliance was 20%. The main causes of noncompliance are: side effects of antiglaucomatous drugs (24%); lack of information about the disease (22%); difficulty in understanding information and communication problems with the physician (14%); difficulties in administering the eye drops (14%); poverty, with impossibility to pay for the eye drops (10%); patients attitudes and beliefs (10%). Eighteen percent of the participants informed that the disease affected their life quality.

CONCLUSION

In the studied population, most of the problems related to noncompliance to glaucoma treatment pointed out different factors that may decrease with education about POAG, interventions on attitudes and behavior, improvement of doctor-patient relationship and anti-glaucoma drugs supply.