Improving drop administration by patients.

1. Patients that have difficulties with drop application may have poor compliance with therapy. We studied the effectiveness of teaching a technique of drop administration that allows the patient to steady the hand and observe the dropper tip during application. 2. Comparing the group taught the technique of application with another group who had their drops applied by a home caregiver, we found that those taught the technique were as reliable as the others in the delivery of their drops. 3. Although some patients will be physically incapable of applying drops, we found that the technique we describe in the present study enables effective and safe delivery of drops.